On the menu of vaccination news: more than 200,000 slots available in France, the first dose that protects against contagion in households, the risks of shingles after the injection of messenger RNA vaccines… and beware of crooks of vaccination.
- 270,000 vaccination slots are still open for the next few weeks and some departments allow people under 55 to occupy the available places.
- Three weeks after receiving the first injection, infected people are 38% to 49% less likely than those who have not been vaccinated to transmit the virus to members of their household.
- In France, 112 cases of shingles have been documented by the ANSM since the start of vaccination in people who received an injection.
In France, more than 14 million people have received a dose of vaccine and soon 6 million will have had both injections. While vaccine stocks are full, available slots continue to increase. Yesterday, more than 200,000 appointments across France remained vacant. Vaccination remains the best way to protect against the virus. This is evidenced by a new British study which reveals that the first dose of vaccine reduces the risk of transmission within a household by almost 50%. Another study, Israeli this one, suggests a link between Pfizer or Moderna products and the appearance of cases of shingles. Finally, the Academy of Medicine warns against vaccination scammers.
In France, more than 200,000 slots available
For a long time, the lack of vaccine stock was pointed out to explain a certain vaccine slowness. This time, the problem is the opposite: many departments no longer know what to do with their doses of vaccine with hundreds, even thousands of appointments that do not find takers. Yesterday, nearly 230,000 slots were available throughout France, mainly in metropolitan areas.
270,000 vaccination slots are still open for the next few weeks, I think that never happened. We lack data to know if there is a real divergence between supply and demand. Explanations ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/85ziM7oHlj
— GRZ (@GuillaumeRozier) April 28, 2021
The receipt of approximately four million doses from Pfizer and Moderna a few days ago would be the reason for the opening of very many slots. In major vaccination centers like the Stade de France, seven thousand doses were available on Wednesday. In addition, approximately 4.3 million people eligible for vaccination have still not made an appointment.
Authorities are considering speeding up the schedule as the next step, which opens up access to vaccination for over-50s, is scheduled for May 15. Some centers do not require government approval. This is particularly the case in the Alpes-Maritimes. In Cannes, for example, vaccination appointments have been open to people over 40 since the end of last week, if a slot reserved for eligible audiences according to the national vaccination schedule becomes available.
One dose of vaccine, 50% less transmission within the household
Vaccination protects outbreaks as soon as a person receives their first dose. In a study by the English public health agency, Public Health England, presented this Tuesday April 27, researchers followed 57,000 people belonging to 24,000 households where a vaccinated person tested positive and compared them to almost one million contacts of unvaccinated people. The results revealed that the first dose of vaccine reduced household transmission of the virus by up to almost 50%. A “fantastic news” for the British Minister of Health, Matt Hancock.
In detail, the study estimates that three weeks after receiving the first injection, infected people are 38% to 49% less likely than those who have not been vaccinated to transmit the virus to members of their household. This level of protection is observed approximately fifteen days after vaccination and regardless of the age of the vaccinated person or the members of the household. “We already knew that vaccines save lives and this study, the most comprehensive conducted in real conditions, also shows that they reduce the transmission of this deadly virus”, rejoiced Matt Hancock. In addition, this study points out that one dose of vaccine also, after four weeks, reduces the risk of developing symptoms by 60 to 65%.
Cases of shingles in people vaccinated with messenger RNA
Messenger RNA vaccines, produced by the Pfizer and Moderna groups, are said to have a previously unknown side effect. On April 12, an Israeli study published in the journal Rheumatology observed 491 patients vaccinated with one of the two mRNA vaccines. Among them, six developed shingles compared to none in a control group who received another product. While waiting for more data, the researchers call for vigilance. In France, 112 cases of shingles have been documented by the ANSM since the start of vaccination in people who received an injection. In detail, there are 86 cases with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 26 with Moderna. Symptoms occur on average four days after vaccine inoculation.
Beware of scams
This Wednesday, the Academy of Medicine warned througha statement against vaccination scammers. “The legitimate impatience of the public and the difficulties in supplying vaccines, amplified by intense daily media coverage, induce a climate of anxiety in the population, conducive to the spread of rumors and the occurrence of scams”, she underlines. Some do not hesitate to present false vaccines, sometimes harmless but from time to time toxic, to extract money. In the countries of the South, note the Academy, “they are illegally imported, distributed and administered in parallel circuits (private clinics, “natural medicine” centers, companies…).” In the countries of the North,they are sold on the internet, in particular by the hidden side network (darkweb), up to 1000 US dollars each dose”, she warns.
Other cases of fraud have been reported in France and it is the elderly or vulnerable who are mainly targeted. On April 9, The Republican East told the story of an octogenarian, originally from Doubs, who received a phone call telling her that her appointment for a first dose of vaccine had been fixed. “I was in such a hurry to get vaccinated that I was not suspiciousshe admitted. So she invites me to hang up and immediately call back a 12-digit number and ask for a Mr. Bernard. She urges me to do it right away, on the pretext that there are a lot of people waiting to make appointments. I fell into the panel headlong.” This so-called Monsieur Bertrand answers and puts her on hold. One, two, three minutes pass before she smells the scam and hangs up the phone. After some research, her grandson discovered that the call was from Guatemala. Communication price: 14 euros.
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