The Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, and several professional organizations in the sector said they were in favor of "
an obligation to vaccinate health professionals
" against Covid-19, in a joint text published at the end of a meeting on Wednesday 7 July.
Read also: Covid-19: "The vaccine obligation could fuel the feeling of mistrust"
The participants in this meeting “
support an obligation to vaccinate health, care and support professionals against Covid-19 to fight against the transmission of the virus and protect people in contact with these professionals
”.
The government and about fifteen interlocutors - orders of the health professions, in particular doctors and nurses, federations of health and medico-social establishments -, including the Red Cross, Unicancer, Hospital Federation of France, Federation of private clinics and hospitals of France, Synerpa (National union of private establishments and residences and home help services for the elderly), in particular, are in favor of "
passing a law as soon as possible if this proves necessary
".
The government has set a target for at least 80% of healthcare workers to have received at least one dose of the anti-Covid vaccine by September.
The Head of State will chair an exceptional Health Defense Council on Monday to decide in particular on the vaccination obligation for caregivers.
An obligation for "
all actors
" in health structures
The signatories are in favor of a law which would concern "
a broad scope including all the actors and accompanying persons intervening in structures of health, care and support including establishments, services and home
". Vaccination against Covid-19 would be done "
in accordance with any medical indications and contraindications
", continues the joint statement, which mentions "
real individual consequences in the event of non-compliance with the obligation
".
The debate on the compulsory vaccination of caregivers against Covid-19 has been going on for several days, as the Delta variant appears to be gaining ground.
On Monday, government spokesman Gabriel Attal estimated that a fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic from the end of July is "
a possibility
".
According to a latest report from Public Health France published on Wednesday, 7,539 people are hospitalized because of Covid-19, a number that has been falling for two months, and 997 people suffering from severe forms are in hospital (against 1,032 the day before and more than 2500, a month earlier).
In contrast, the number of cases is increasing, dropping above the 4,000 daily case mark on Wednesday for the first time in nearly a month.