Only 10,500 injections. This is, according to our information, the number of employees vaccinated via the occupational health services. A peccadille, compared to the nearly 11 million French people who have now benefited from a first injection. Out of the 5,000 occupational physicians invited to join the vaccination campaign from February 25, only a few hundred took part. “About 35% of occupational physicians have already ordered at least one bottle,” notes the Directorate General of Health (DGS). And Olivier Véran’s announcements this Sunday, extending vaccination to over 55s without comorbidities will unfortunately change nothing.
The players in occupational medicine hoped that the end of the criterion of co-morbidities would ease the conditions for vaccination, by allowing injections to be carried out directly on the premises of companies, like the flu. This will not be the case. The DGS on this point is very clear: “As medical confidentiality does not only concern comorbidities, vaccinations via occupational medicine will still not be able to be done outside the OHS premises (Editor’s note: Occupational health services) ».
Confidentiality of employee health
In order to keep the health of employees confidential, most companies are prohibited from vaccinating on their own premises. Employees are therefore obliged to go to one of the centers managed by the Occupational Health Services (OHS). It is up to the latter to organize the making of appointments, the reception of employees and even the delivery of doses, previously ordered in pharmacies. This complex logistics partly explains the low number of vaccinated employees. “We really did everything to complicate our task”, criticizes an occupational doctor in the Paris region.
The centers concerned also had to deal with the shortage of vaccines. Thus, the Service aux entreprises pour la santé au travail (SEST), which brings together 6,500 member companies in the Ile-de-France region, or 105,000 employees, canceled two out of the five vaccination days scheduled every Tuesday in its premises in Issy-les-Moulineaux. (Hauts-de-Seine), “lack of sufficient doses”, deplores Denys Brunel, its president.
Same difficulties for the Inter-company Medical Center Europe (CMIE), the second largest STT in Ile-de-France. Its 22 doctors and 40 nurses have thus vaccinated a fifth of the 10,500 employees concerned thanks to grouped orders from the Pharmacy of Europe, in Paris (9th arrondissement). “Except that the difficulties quickly accumulated, regrets Claudine Sulitzer, the president. As a result, after a very good start, only 300 people have received a dose in the last fortnight. “
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The OHS also suffered delivery uncertainties, like all the players. “But we are really the poor relation of vaccination, at the end of the chain, once the vaccination centers, pharmacies and doctors’ offices have been served,” notes, annoyed, a Parisian occupational physician.
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Finally, there is growing mistrust of AstraZeneca, after several cases of bleeding disorders reported in various European countries and the suspension of its use for several days in France. “We can no longer count the number of employees who have canceled their appointment,” regrets Denys Brunel.
The DGS, however, wants to be confident: “The Janssen vaccine arrives this week on the national territory. It will be available to order by occupational physicians. “Except that the doses will be, at the beginning at least, distributed by the dropper. And in priority to the most fragile populations and in the overseas departments and territories: 200,000 doses this week and 350,000 next week. If all goes well.
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