"
From now on, I join the category of sub-citizens,"
said Elias, 37, in reference to Emmanuel Macron's speech last week.
"It's a choice that is not easy but it is a choice that belongs to me
," he adds. Less than a year ago, the Parisian had been vaccinated out of "
citizen duty
": "
At the time, it was to protect himself, and to protect everyone
," he recalls. But today, the situation has changed for him, “
and the speech too
”. Although he experienced many episodes of dizziness after his second dose, he does not wish to receive a third injection at this time. Especially since the government did not convince him. On the contrary : "
The latest hiccups and their aggressive communication on the vaccine pass push me to resist
, ”he says.
Read alsoFrançois-Xavier Bellamy: "
The vaccination pass or the continued disintegration of the rule of law
"
Like Elias, hundreds of thousands of French people will lose their health passes, starting this Saturday, January 15. And just for today, the General Directorate of Health estimates this figure at 560,000 people. Indeed, any adult who has not received their booster dose of vaccination against Covid-19 within seven months of their last injection or infection will have their health pass deactivated. This is the case of Patrick, for example. While the soldier had been vaccinated last June, his pass was deactivated earlier than the others, because of his comorbidities. Indeed, for people over 60 or that in the case of Patrick, the limit was set at December 15. “
At 11.45am I went to the bar and my pass was working, at 12.15pm it stopped working at the restaurant
“Says the 50-year-old soldier.
If he was surprised to lose it a week before the others, the father of the family knew that his certificate would soon have been deactivated.
Because this time, he will not be vaccinated, even if his profession imposes a vaccination obligation on him.
“
Why?
Because the government lied to us for two years.
Because this so-called vaccine does not work except in serious cases
”, fumes the fifty-year-old with Le
Figaro
.
Living in Languedoc Roussillon with his wife and two children, the man could be transferred, or even lose his job.
“
I have served my country for 25 years.
If the democratic situation does not improve, I plan to leave the country 'with arms and luggage'
”, he says then.
Read alsoCovid-19: who are the 5 million unvaccinated French people?
Elias and Patrick are not the only ones to be double vaccinated and to object to the third dose.
Alice, a 25-year-old Parisian, also rose against the executive.
Even if finding herself “
at the same point as the antivax
” annoys her, she chooses not to follow “
the absurd constraints imposed by the government for which it is difficult to find a health justification
”.
And according to her, it is her “
freedom
”: “
It is my choice not to get vaccinated.
»
A fog of information
Those who lose their health passes are not just people who want to oppose the executive's strategy. Many of them have several misunderstandings about the validity conditions of their pass, or simply have badly organized themselves within the time limits. Carole, for example, got vaccinated last Wednesday. If the young woman thought she was in the nails, she finds herself today without a valid certificate. Indeed, "
all people who do their booster have a new QR Code, which becomes valid seven days after their injection, whether it is a second, third or more dose
",
noted with Le Figaro
the Directorate General for Health (DGS). "
I didn't know that
retorts Carole when we state this rule to her.
She adds: "
Anyway, whether it's the tests, the certificates... Between the information on the health pass and that on the vaccination pass, no one understands anything anymore
".
Read alsoNew rules for the health pass: what changes for your trips this January 15
Marie, 27, also did not understand all the procedures for keeping her health pass. When she contracted Covid during the holiday season, responding to our call for testimonials, she was convinced that her certificate was going to expire because she had only done “
an antigenic test
”. And it's not for lack of asking if this test could be worth a health pass: "
I went to several pharmacies, and they all gave me different answers
“, notes the young woman.
As the government site specifies, the positive result of a PCR or antigen test – of at least 11 days and less than 6 months – is equivalent to a certificate of recovery.
So finally, on our advice and after updating her Tous Anti Covid application, Marie realized that her certificate was valid until next August.
Some caught in a Kafkaesque administrative gear
Romain, 26, who lives in London but has been in Paris for two weeks, contracted the virus just over a month ago. The young man did not do an antigen test or a PCR test, but "
a dozen self-tests over ten days
", most of which turned out to be positive. If he made this choice, it is because "
they were provided free of charge by the box and it was faster
", explains the young man. But today, he realizes that this choice was not without consequence. If he knows he has contracted the Covid, the self-tests do not allow him to have the precious QR code, equivalent to the health pass. "
But how could I have done while I was in London
," he says then. "
I don't want to get vaccinated when I had the Covid
, ”he breathes. He will try, in the next few days, to find a solution. "
Let's cheat
," he says.
And then there is Paul, 25, who lives in Lozère. While he also tested positive last month, the pharmacy simply made a mistake in taking his contact details: “
I received a message from health insurance asking me to confine myself, but never a QR code
”. “
The pharmacy is only an antenna of the lab. They told me to call the lab, but they can't be reached. I finally managed to reach them, but they told me to call another number, which was unreachable
”. Faced with this administrative hassle, he had for the moment given up. From today, he will continue to call, but if there is still no answer, he will resolve to get vaccinated.
Read alsoUnrecognized Covid tests, saturated platforms ... The French are exasperated by administrative failures