On the eve of "the end of an adventure", the vaccination center at Place Canada, in Caen, resonates somewhat.
A lady and a young man come out with a smile.
They are among the last to receive a dose here.
The site closes its doors this Friday, October 15, at 6 p.m.
“This door has seen up to 1,000 people pass a day in mid-July,” says Doctor Xavier Humbert, head of the center.
In this former barracks, we felt the vaccine boom of the summer.
And the drop in activity in recent weeks.
“We are vaccinating around 400 people a week today,” says Xavier Humbert.
Under these conditions, it was no longer relevant to maintain such a mechanism.
Especially since the CHU and the vaccination center of the Parc des Expositions are there, also with a fairly low activity.
Read also Anti-Covid vaccination: the 3rd doses double the first-time injections, less than 8 million unvaccinated
Waiting before their third dose, Simone and André share their thoughts on the closure of this type of site, symbol of the Covid vaccination campaign.
“It's both a shame and encouraging.
Too bad because, in some parts of France, there are still people to be vaccinated.
Encouraging because it means that, as with us, people have responded ”.
Normandy is indeed one of the good students, with 83.7% of vaccinated with a second dose.
"The bet is won"
The bet was far from won on January 14, when the general public vaccination of over 75s opened, in the premises of a former school in the city center, at first. “Then we had to think bigger,” recalls the manager. In March, the site, run by doctors and nurses, had moved to Place du Canada. "At the beginning, we had few doses for many requests, today it is the opposite", summarizes Dr. Humbert, who confides a touch of emotion a few days before the dismantling. “We didn't know where we were going. But a lot had to be done with little to optimize the campaign. The bet is won ”.
The challenge, too, was to allow this medical field staff to access messenger RNA vaccines, which were not yet available for pharmacies. This is the case now. But the Canada center will continue a logistical mission that has been established since July. Doctors and pharmacists can obtain supplies from the structure, to secure orders. This service will be maintained until the end of the year, at least. Because, of course, the fight against the virus does not stop with the shutdown of certain centers. "We must avoid the relaxation that we see around us", proclaim Simone and André. Without forgetting this question: "how will our immunity evolve over time", asks Xavier Humbert. It will surely take reminders, "a bit like the flu." However, the field work of physicians,pharmacists and hospitals will leave the Canada center in a well-deserved retirement. 300 caregivers took turns injecting some 90,000 doses.