Vaccination passport rather than “health”, compulsory vaccination for certain categories of the population … faced with the resurgence of the epidemic under the pressure of the delta variant, the scientific council recommends a series of rapid measures.
A law by the end of July
The scientific council calls for accelerating the adoption of “legal and legislative measures”
In a new notice published this Friday, the body recommends first to “go towards ‘an obligation to vaccinate caregivers'”. He calls for accelerating the adoption of “legal and legislative measures” in this direction.
The government is working on a bill that could be adopted before the end of July and include this obligation, made urgent by the surge in the epidemic since the end of June.
Vaccinate caregivers
Faced with the risk of contamination, the scientific council is worried about a vaccination rate that is still “too low, among staff in the medico-social sector in contact with elderly and / or disabled people in nursing homes, specialized establishments or in nursing homes. city”.
For example, “only 40% of nursing home staff, public or private, would be vaccinated with great territorial heterogeneity,” notes the scientific council.
This vaccination obligation “could be extended to other categories, such as ‘caregivers’, personal services personnel or all (non-health) professionals exposed and exposing to a risk for others”.
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Better protect those most at risk
The problem with this measure alone is that, even made mandatory today, it would only have an effect in at least 6 to 8 weeks: the time to get an appointment, then to receive the first and the possible second injection, and to wait another 15 days to be fully vaccinated.
In the meantime, the council says it is concerned about the level of vaccination of “over 60 years and people at risk between 40 and 60 years”, and “young people at risk and in particular obese”, while “according to the latest data available, only 50% of people would be vaccinated “.
“The epidemic can only be controlled with 90% to 95% of people vaccinated or infected”, a level “higher” than previous reports because of the increased transmission of new variants, underlines the council.
Considered restrictions
Also, two weeks after the lifting of most of the restrictions, the delta variant in full summer vacation could change the situation: in its opinion, the council is in favor of a lowering of the tonnage (of 1,000 people) for events subject to a health passport (vaccination, proof of previous infection or negative test).
He also advocates “partial restrictive measures” (curfews, travel restrictions, etc.) in the most affected geographic areas, “including in July and August”. With these words, the scientific council urges the government to act quickly, the fourth wave is already here.
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“Steps taken now”
Much more transmissible than the alpha variant (called “English”), the delta variant (called “Indian”) spreads rapidly throughout the world, especially in certain European countries such as the United Kingdom or Portugal, where it causes a recovery major epidemic: in just one month, the number of daily cases has increased tenfold, after a brief lull in May.
In France, the Delta variant represented 40% of new contaminations this week. It should become the majority this weekend.
“Realistically, a new wave due to the delta variant must be collectively anticipated. It cannot be completely absorbed by the high level of vaccination, which is still insufficient within the population to ensure effective collective protection. taken now may limit this new wave and its effects, “writes the scientific council.
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Towards a “vaccine passport”?
According to the scientific council, faced with the vaccine insufficiency, “the interest” of making bear any new possible restrictions “on the completely vaccinated population is very weak: would then arise the delicate question of the relevance and the respect of possible measures. restrictive by vaccinated people, while at the same time part of the population would not have been vaccinated and would constitute the main source of dissemination of the virus “.
In other words, rather than maintaining a policy of free tests which makes it possible to obtain a health passport, the scientific council poses the idea of limiting the number of tests, by making them pay “in the fall”. It would be a question of encouraging, by this means also, the population to be vaccinated rather than to multiply the tests.
The authority therefore evokes the possibility of a “vaccine” passport to access, for example, restaurants, cultural or sports activities, which would limit health restrictions in the event of a fourth wave to unvaccinated only.
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