From next January 18, elderly volunteers will be able to go to a vaccination center.
- The injection will have to be done in one of the 100 centers spread over the territory which should have 600 by the end of the month.
- Before the vaccine, health professionals will ensure that the patient is fit to receive it.
- A second injection will take place between three and six weeks after the first.
The vaccination campaign is accelerating and from next January 18, all people over the age of 75 will be able to have the vaccine injected. This vaccination “will necessarily be progressive and will last several weeks”, depending on the deliveries of doses by the pharmaceutical laboratories, added Jean Castex yesterday at a press conference. This concerns approximately 5 million French people and will be followed, in several weeks, by the possibility for the 7 million 65-75 year olds to be vaccinated in turn.
No need to see a GP
This vaccination must follow a protocol which begins with an appointment by telephone or on the internet on the site. sante.fr. For the rest, the visit to the attending physician is not compulsory, the result of the simplification of the procedure desired by the government. “The hindsight we now have allows us to simplify the journey of the vaccinated person, without compromising on safety and quality.justified Olivier Véran during the press conference on Thursday, January 7. The orientation council for the vaccine strategy, chaired by Professor Alain Fischer, encourages us to do so..”
The injections must be performed in specialized centers, given the constraints of storage at very low temperatures of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. There are currently 100 centers spread over the territory and at least one is available in each department. The government’s objective is to increase this number and reach 300 on January 11, i.e. 3 centers per department, then “gradually to 600 until the end of Januaryr”, unveiled the Prime Minister. “Each municipality will not have its own center, it would be inconsistent given the number of doses and people to be vaccinated. The departmental distribution is decided in consultation with the State services within the framework of territorial cells”, specified the Minister of Health.
A second injection three to six weeks later
Before proceeding with the injection, the appointment at the vaccination center will begin with an interview with a health professional or with a questionnaire which will make it possible to ensure that there are no contraindications. The objective is to know if the patient has been infected with Covid-19 in the last three months and has not been vaccinated against influenza in the previous three weeks. This will also make it possible to check that the patient does not suffer from a serious allergy, that he has no fever or symptoms or that he is following a treatment incompatible with vaccination. “If you wish, you can see a doctor, because there will always be a doctor on the center”, added Olivier Véran.
For vaccination, it will be conducted by a doctor, a nurse “or any other caregiver authorized to do so”, specifies the Minister of Health. The injection is usually done at the shoulder, is intramuscular and followed by a 15 minute waiting period on the spot”for security reasons” in order to anticipate a possible reaction. This first injection must be followed by a second three weeks later according to the instructions of its manufacturer, Pfizer-BioNTech. This period may be extended up to six months due to insufficient stocks of vaccine doses. This possible extension of the deadline has been validated by the Medicines Agency (ANSM) in an opinion issued on January 7 which, based on clinical data, confirms the effectiveness of the second injection “in a window ranging from 19 to 42 days”.
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