The first mass vaccination campaign concerns one million elderly people living in collective residences. They will receive two doses, three weeks apart.
High risk transport
The first 19,500 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived in France, this Saturday morning, December 26, from the Puurs plant (Belgium). Preserved in dry ice, they were placed in super-freezers at – 80 degrees, in the Paris region, in Lille, Lyon and Tours. Each cargo is closely monitored by the police, fearing theft or destruction. Truck routes change regularly. The storage places are also placed under high security.
Precise schedule
The first vaccinations start this Sunday, December 27 in Sevran and Dijon, in places of accommodation for the elderly. A few residents will receive the first of two doses, as well as two practitioners over 65. Next week, twenty-three nursing homes will also launch their vaccination campaign, in Lille, Lyon, Paris, Tours. A few hundred more will follow suit in the first two weeks of January. The massive campaign will begin in mid-January.
A million
This first massive vaccination campaign concerns one million elderly people living in collective residences. They will receive two doses three weeks apart. “This vaccine is our great hope, notes the government. But the virus will not go away right away. Barrier gestures will remain our best allies for several more months. “
No precipitation
The government recalls that this vaccination is not compulsory. “It is imperative to give the French time for reflection. “
A big wallet
It is since June that France has been active in finding vaccines, in connection with the European Union. Currently, the French wallet counts five vaccines : Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, CureVac and Janssen. Some are still in the process of being approved. “Europe has the best vaccine portfolio, Matignon believes, in sufficient quantity. “
Effective or not?
According to the first elements communicated by the general directorate of health, the Pfizer vaccine allows « a large production of antibodies, appearing to be effective against the virus mutation ”. A first (official) case of contamination with the new variant of Sars-CoV-2 has just been identified in Tours (Indre-et-Loire).
What side effects?
According to the General Directorate of Health, the side effects observed 48 hours after the injection of the Pfizer vaccine are muscle pain, redness at the bite, fatigue, headaches, etc. “Nothing major. “ This campaign will be closely monitored by Inserm and Public Health France. “Messenger RNAs, used by Pfizer, are not new. They have been the subject of studies for more than twenty years. “
Vaccination struggles to convince
In mid-December, according to a survey unveiled by Public Health France, 40% of respondents answered that they definitely or probably wanted to be vaccinated against the Covid. At the beginning of November, they were 53%.
– .
