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France will accelerate its Covid-19 vaccination program after the government was criticized for being too cautious to ease the fears of vaccine skeptics.
Health Minister Olivier Véran announced on Thursday night that the vaccine would be available to health workers over 50 from Monday.
Medical and nursing staff were not expected to receive the vaccine until the end of February, according to the original government schedule.
The announcement came after ministers and officials were accused of pandering to anti-vaccines in the vaccine rollout.
Five days after the launch of its vaccine program, the latest available figures suggest that only 332 people have been inoculated in France. Germany reported giving the Covid-19 vaccine to about 130,000 people in the same period, and Italy to 8,300. Spain said it was on track to have administered 1.3 million doses Thursday night.
Cases from France
French officials had admitted that they were taking a “marathon, not sprint” approach to vaccination after encountering strong public opposition. An Ipsos survey across Europe showed that only 40% of French respondents said they were willing to receive a Covid-19 jab. France insists that those who receive the vaccine give their consent in writing after being fully informed of possible side effects and time to consider whether they want it.
Opposition politicians and doctors have criticized this approach.
In his New Year’s speech, Emmanuel Macron said that he would not allow an “unjustified delay” to occur in the inoculation of the population for “bad reasons.” The president asked people to trust their doctors and scientists.
Dr Djillali Annane, head of the emergency service at Raymond-Pointcaré de Garches hospital in Hauts-de-Seine, said that he and his colleagues who had urged the government to speed up the vaccination program had been “partially heard.”
“We don’t see any justification for limiting access to the vaccine to healthcare professionals over 50 years of age. Whatever your age, your exposure to risk is very high, ”he said. “The vaccine should be available quickly and easily to all healthy professionals, regardless of their age.”
Véran on Thursday night asked the French to be patient. “Some of you have questioned the pace of Covid-19 vaccination in France, a few days after it started in Europe,” Véran tweeted.
“Some countries have already been vaccinated a lot; others, like Belgium and the Netherlands, have not started. Calm down. The vaccine campaign will soon accelerate. The vaccine is a historic opportunity to end this epidemic and return to normal life and we will not lose it. “
He insisted that the low number of vaccines is due to the fact that health authorities have chosen to prioritize “vulnerable people in nursing homes … where the most serious cases are found.
“Also because the CCNE [national ethics consultative committee] asks that all vaccinated people have given their informed consent after a medical visit. It is a test of trust for our citizens. This stage is fundamental and we will respect it. The vaccine can be given after consent or a few days later. “
Véran said the vaccine would be offered to all older people “within a few weeks.” “Then we will be on the same level as other countries,” he tweeted.
“We know how to organize mass vaccinations.”
