a three-week delay between two injections of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna is now possible

To increase the number of appointments for the first dose and speed up vaccination, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday June 15 that it had decided to once again make possible a delay of only three weeks between two injections of messenger RNA vaccines. . During a weekly press briefing, the ministry explained that it wanted to set up a “Flexibility” as to the difference between the two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.

The deadline, initially set at forty-two days since May, had already been extended from a minimum of thirty-five to forty-nine days to allow better organization during the holidays. The gap is going to be “Further reduced within the twenty-one day limit” provided for by the recommendations of the laboratories that produce these vaccines, again according to the Ministry of Health. The goal is to“Go as quickly as possible in the first injections” and of “Do not slow down access to the first dose because of the holidays”, we stressed.

The ministry also wants to speed up the movement with regard to second injections for “Protect as best as possible” the population, in particular of variants such as the Delta (previously called “Indian”).

Decryption: Covid-19: the Delta variant, known as “Indian”, is circulating more and more in several European countries

Increase in vaccine intentions

As for vacation spots, getting vaccinated on site should not be “May not be the rule”, but there may be ” exceptions “, and one ” security net “ will be organized in this direction.

The ministry has not given targets for the number of vaccinated, stressing that it wants to go ” as far as possible “ and achieve, for example, at least 90% of vaccinated among the oldest (against a rate just over 80% of first-time vaccines currently for over 75 years), since their vaccine adherence rate is over by 90%.

Questioned at the National Assembly, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, underlined the sharp increase in vaccine intentions:

“In January, we had only 50% of French people who intended to be vaccinated, with fears relating especially to messenger RNA vaccines, primarily Pfizer (…). Today, 80% of French people want to be vaccinated, which makes France one of the top countries in the rankings, and messenger RNA vaccines, in particular Pfizer, have allayed all fears. “

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France will receive “Lots of vaccines in June”, he noted, judging “Important that many French people make appointments”, while some centers are open in the evenings and weekends to facilitate vaccination.

According to the Ministry of the Economy, a total of 23 million doses of vaccines, mainly Pfizer and Moderna, will be delivered in June, then the same quantity in July and “At least as much in August”. “Manufacturers are increasing in capacity, and there is a constant increase” quantities delivered, it was indicated from the same source, recalling that the volume had been 12.5 million in April, then 15.5 million in May.

Less than 2,000 patients in intensive care

The epidemic due to the coronavirus is rapidly decelerating in France. On Tuesday, less than 2,000 Covid-19 patients were hospitalized in intensive care units – that is to say the most serious cases -, a first since mid-October, according to official figures. All services combined, 12,000 patients are currently hospitalized because of Covid-19, a steady decline since mid-April.

The number of new cases detected in twenty-four hours also continues to decline: it is 3,235 Tuesday, against more than 15,000 a month ago. Finally, 76 people have died from Covid-19 in hospital since the day before (for a total of 110,563 deaths since the start of the epidemic).

However, observers fear a “Relaxation” during the summer, with the end of the curfew on June 30 and gauges in confined spaces. The authorities also fear the Delta variant, which is much more transmissible (+ 60% virality) and which has become dominant in Great Britain in the space of a few weeks. In France, this variant currently only represents“Between 2 and 4% of cases” of Covid-19 detected, according to Mr. Véran.

In addition, vaccination is progressing: while it opened Tuesday to adolescents, 30.7 million people received at least one injection (45.9% of the total population and 58.6% of the adult population. ), including 14.7 million who had two (22% of the total population and 28.1% of the adult population). A total of 16.5 million people were fully vaccinated, either with two injections or with just one, when this was sufficient (for people who had the Janssen vaccine, the only one that required only one injection). dose, or for those who have had the disease in the past).

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The World with AFP