Henry Chavancy came as a neighbor.
The captain of Racing 92 lives a stone's throw from the vaccination center - one of the twelve in the department - set up in a few days in the Pierre-Bérégovoy omnisports center in Châtenay-Malabry.
For the occasion, the player is accompanied by his colleagues Teddy Iribaren and Maxime Machenaud.
Dressed in a sky and white polo shirt in the colors of the club whose headquarters and training center are located in Plessis-Robinson, the trio hosted by Mayor Carl Segaud discovers the stages that should allow more than 420 elderly people each week over 75 years of being inoculated with the famous vaccine intended to counter the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We are already here to show our support for the nursing staff who provide a lot of effort," says Chavancy.
Personally, I am very happy that this vaccine is coming and being delivered on a large scale.
"" We were curious to know how it goes.
We will be able to transmit the information, ”adds his friend Teddy Iribaren who confides in having spoken of the need to be vaccinated to his two grandmothers.
In Racing, the Covid-19 made a very noticeable and spectacular irruption in the fall when club president Jacky Lorenzetti was hit hard after returning from a trip to England for the European Cup final.
"We were marked by the fact that he suffered from this disease," confirms Chavancy.
And if we are present here it is to testify to the gratitude to the medical community which took care of it very well.
"
Lower the proportion of skeptics
In the tent where vaccinations are carried out out of sight, the three players are explained to them the delicate management of the cold chain which, once broken, requires the administration of the doses within five days.
Hence delicate logistics.
Maxime Machenaud, Teddy Iribaren and Henry Chavancy from left to right./LP/Icon Sport / Baptiste Fernandez
Beyond the support, the presence of the players also serves as an example, according to Olivier Rouillon, the new doctor of the Ile-de-France club.
"The fact that personalities, athletes, artists carry this message lowers the proportion of vaccine skeptics", assures the doctor.
Regarding Covid-19, Racing players know the need to protect themselves from it, they who are compulsorily tested once a week and three days before a meeting.
“In number, this represents around 80 tests per week for the workforce, the staff and the training center,” specifies Dr. Olivier Rouillon to which must be added a monthly serological test.
“Constraints that are now part of the habits of the workforce.
“It's complicated on a daily basis, but we adapt because we are lucky enough to be able to continue working,” underlines Henry Chavancy.
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For the world of sport too, the vaccine could simplify things.
"The vaccine is the solution to the pandemic for the microcosm of rugby and professional sport", summarizes Dr Rouillon, vaccinated last week for nursing staff over 50 years old.
But the players and the doctor agree to abide by the vaccination schedule above all, which has not identified athletes as priority people for the moment.
