From Thursday, people aged 50 to 64 who have comorbidities will be able to be vaccinated by occupational medicine.
- This vaccination will be carried out in compliance with medical secrecy and on a voluntary basis.
- The protocol put in place will adapt to the evolution of vaccination.
Getting vaccinated at your workplace will be possible. This Thursday, February 25, occupational physicians will be able to administer AstraZeneca to employees aged 50 to 64 who have a comorbidity. “In this context, the occupational health services (OHS), autonomous services and inter-company services, can engage in the vaccination campaign among employees meeting the age and comorbidity criteria as defined by the health authorities.”, indicated this Monday the Secretariat of State in charge of pensions and health at work in a communicated.
Press release????| Occupational doctors can now administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to employees aged 50 to 64 with comorbidities. #COVID19⤵️ #health #Health at work https://t.co/lEnV4aQ99e
– Ministry of Labor (@Travail_Gouv) February 22, 2021
Medical secrecy and volunteering
The vaccination protocol, transmitted on February 16 by the General Directorate of Labour, provides for the delivery of ten doses per health professional in the first week before gradually increasing. The number of doses should be the same for all businesses, regardless of size. Occupational physiciansmust contact the pharmacy of their choice to identify themselves and obtain doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine under the same quota system”, specifies the text.
This vaccination will be carried out in compliance with medical secrecy and on a voluntary basis. “As with any act of vaccination, their intervention is carried out in strict compliance with the ethical rules relating to the consent of individuals, medical secrecy and the confidentiality of vaccinations vis-à-vis the employer.”, is it specified in the press release. A recent survey indicated that more than one in two French people (52%) would be in favor of compulsory vaccination in the workplace.
Some side effects
The protocol put in place will adapt to the evolution of vaccination. For the moment, the scope of intervention concerns occupational doctors and nurses and “will have to adapt in the coming weeks as the overall vaccine strategy evolves and vaccines become available”, adds the text.
The deployment of this vaccine has provided the first indications of its side effects. The drug agency (ANSM) has indicated Friday, February 19 in a press release that the “potential signal identified on February 11, of flu-like syndromes often of high intensity (high fever, body aches, headaches) is confirmed.” The 363 reported cases mainly concern people under the age of 50. The ANSM concluded by explaining that these side effects do not call into question “the benefit/risk ratio of the vaccine” and that a study is “under evaluation at European level”.
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