Are we guinea pigs? – Older people in France distrust the COVID vaccine

A medical worker, dressed in a protective suit and a mask, administers a nasal swab to a patient at a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing center in Reze, near Nantes, France, on December 15, 2020 REUTERS / Stephane Mahe

SARTROUVILLE, France – The head of a French nursing home, Yann Reboulleau, was trying to persuade Madeleine Bonnet, a 92-year-old resident, of the merits of taking the COVID-19 vaccine, and she was having a hard time.

“Are we guinea pigs?” asked Bonnet, who used to work as a pharmacist, sitting across from Reboulleau in the TV room of the “Mon Repos” house while the cooks prepared a lunch of bulgur wheat and chicken.

Reboulleau noted that vaccines undergo extensive testing to ensure they are safe. Bonnet replied, “But with how certain?”

Scientists say the launch of the COVID-19 vaccines, once the first one receives regulatory approval for Europe in the coming weeks, will play a major role in eliminating a virus that in France alone has contributed to more than 58,000 deaths.

But the effectiveness of the vaccine could be compromised, scientists say, by a widespread reluctance by people in France to have it. More than half of the population say they will not, or probably will not, the polls show.

That reluctance is shared at the “Mon Repos” home near Paris, even though the residents, aged 87 to 100, are among the groups most vulnerable to becoming seriously ill or dying from COVID-19.

In the first wave of the virus earlier this year, the home had a cluster of infections during which four residents died. Nationwide, more than 17,000 of the COVID-related deaths occurred in nursing homes and 93% of all those who died with COVID-19 were 65 years or older, public health figures showed.

Laurent Levasseur, president of Bluelinea, a company that helps nursing homes manage the virus, including “Mon Repos,” said his company had surveyed residents by phone and that those undecided or against the vaccine outnumbered those who were in favor.

Sitting by a Christmas tree, Bonnet said she was suspicious of the motives behind drug companies rushing to get her vaccines approved and deployed in record time.

If her actions were driven by earnings, that made her uncomfortable, she said. If the plan was to advance medical science, she was in favor and willing to be a part of it.

For now, however, she was undecided about whether to take the jab when offered. “We’ll see,” he said.

/ MUF

The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare leaders and still accepts cash donations to be deposited into the Banco de Oro (BDO) checking account # 007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link .

Read next

Don’t miss the latest news and information.

For comments, complaints or inquiries, please contact us.