From March 18, it will be possible to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in pharmacies. An additional possibility offered to protect yourself from the Coronavirus, in addition to vaccinations at the doctor or in vaccination centers. So how does it work ? We will explain everything to you.
How will the vaccination against Covid 19 go in pharmacies?
“Normally pharmacists order their vaccine vials until Wednesday evening for a reception of vaccines scheduled for March 18/19” explains Franck Blandamour, President of the Ordre des pharmaciens de Normandie. A vaccination is planned in the days to follow, according to the organization of the pharmacies. At most each pharmacist can order 2 vials but the delivery of the second is not certain, only “if national stocks are sufficient”.
- How to get an appointment?
Each pharmacist is organized as he wishes. He can opt for appointments by phone or on site. “I think pharmacists make waiting lists and they contact people again by offering them a vaccination window” specifies Franck Blandamour.
- Who can be vaccinated in pharmacies?
Vaccination is possible for people between 50 and 74 years of age with comorbidity, and for anyone over 75 years of age. Only AstraZeneca vaccine is given, as with doctor’s vaccinations.
- Which pharmacies will be able to vaccinate?
In practice, all pharmacies that vaccinate against influenza will also be able to vaccinate against Covid 19. Pharmacists have received adequate training, they benefit from a place provided for vaccination and declared as such to the Regional Health Agency.
“Of the 959 pharmacies in Normandy, 95% can offer this type of vaccination“indicates the President of the Ordre des pharmaciens de Normandie.
Arriving at the pharmacy on the day scheduled for their vaccination, the person will fill out an administrative questionnaire (last name, first name, etc.) and a health questionnaire. If nothing stands in the way of his vaccination, it is done in a room provided for this purpose.
Once vaccinated, the person waits 15 minutes on site and during this time the pharmacist fills out the vaccination portal form and issues a certificate.
You must then resume your appointment for the second injection between 9 and 12 weeks later.
- Is the Covid vaccination free?
The pharmacist invoices the act of vaccination to the health insurance body, via the vital card. Vaccination against Covid 19 does not cost the patient anything. The pharmacist should receive 7.90 euros for the act of vaccination, against 6.30 for a vaccination against influenza.
Pharmacists satisfied with vaccination authorization but deplore “bad timing”
“Since yesterday the waiting list to be vaccinated in pharmacies has been growing“explains Franck Blandamour, President of the Ordre des pharmaciens de Normandie,”we started with 12 people on Friday and there are 70 now. I work in La Manche. Many people were unable to register at vaccination centers. They are happy to finally be able to register somewhere “.
“For a few weeks, patients have been talking to us about it and asking when we can vaccinate them in pharmacies. Until last week, nothing was certain. The decree came out on Friday morning and we talked about it a lot.“hence the enthusiasm and the waiting lists.
The vaccination will therefore begin next week in pharmacies and for a time, orders from doctors were suspended (before Olivier Véran’s announcement on Tuesday, which indicates a resumption of orders this weekend). Thus, next week, doctors will not have access to new doses. “Indeed, it is unfortunate that we are allowed to vaccinate and that there are not enough vaccines. The timing is not good. We have the impression that we are undressing Pierre to dress Paul. Doctors order at D-10. Those who ordered the week between Monday and Wednesday will receive the bottles on Thursday or Friday. The appointments scheduled this week should therefore not be impacted. “. And if we trust the announcement of the Minister of Health, the appointments with the doctors should start again around March 22, for those who have already used all the doses they had ordered.
Pharmacists are satisfied to be able to vaccinate as they regularly do for influenza campaigns, for example. “From the beginning, it was necessary to vaccinate, a lot, more and more and quickly. It is therefore necessary to get as close as possible to the patients. It’s a step forward, it’s obvious “, considers Franck Blandamour, “the more there are vaccinators, the faster we will find a “normal” life. We forget that the vaccine is an individual protection but also a collective one. ”
Liberal doctors will again be able to order vaccines “from the weekend” said Olivier Véran on Tuesday
Suspended this week for the benefit of pharmacists, AstraZeneca vaccine orders will be reopened to liberal doctors “from the end of the week,” Health Minister Olivier Véran told AFP on Tuesday.
“We will reopen to doctors at the end of the week the dose reservations for the week of March 22,” said Mr. Véran during a trip with the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, to the hospital of Cosne-Cours -on-Loire (Nièvre)
The day before, the unions of liberal doctors had rebelled against a decision of the Ministry of Health, which deprived them of orders of doses this week, priority being given to pharmacists, who will begin to vaccinate next week. Several organizations, including general practitioners from MG France and the Syndicat des Médecins Liberals (SML), have even called for the resignation of the Director General of Health, Jérôme Salomon. Tuesday morning on RTL, the person however ruled out leaving office, saying to see “in this epidermal reaction of (his) colleagues as a sign of commitment, of energy for vaccination”.
According to Olivier Veran, thousands of doses still await doctors in pharmacies
Doctors “have already ordered 800,000 doses for their eligible patients, there will be 800,000 more” this week, for a total of “1.6 million patients to be vaccinated in the coming days,” said the Minister of Health.
According to Olivier Véran, out of the 1.6 million doses reserved for liberal practitioners, they have so far only recovered 400,000 from the pharmacies where they have ordered them.
Dentists also want to participate in vaccination
This Tuesday, March 9, 2021, Union Dentaire asked the Minister of Solidarity and Health to allow dentists to participate in the vaccination campaign.
Dentists explain that “to date, general practitioners, pharmacists, midwives, etc. are authorized to vaccinate. But not dental surgeons “. They recall that “the current legal framework is clearly defined by the decree of December 25, 2020: any health professional exercising his functions on a freelance basis or not or any health student can participate in the vaccination campaign within the limits of his competence in terms of vaccination. “
On February 4, 2021, the National Council of the Order asked to include our profession in the vaccination campaign. But for now, dentists who would like to are still not allowed to contribute to the national effort through vaccination centers.
The 40,000 dental surgeons believe that they should not be forgotten and hope to be able to contribute to the vaccination.
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