Nibble on the remaining portion of the undecided and late comers. This is the mission that many general practitioners assume, even if some, overwhelmed during this back-to-school period, rely instead on town pharmacies and on vaccination centers that have remained open. “I believe it is our duty to support general vaccination, even if it will increase our workload, explains Doctor Vanessa Fortane, general practitioner in Bury (Oise), a town located in a medical desert. I will get help from my students and retired colleagues. “
In the spring, however, GPs were scalded by the chaotic start of the city’s vaccination campaign. As early as March, they had access to the AstraZeneca vaccine. But, very quickly, they encountered two pitfalls. The doses were first distributed to them by dropper, before rare cases of atypical venous thrombosis associated with the administration of this vaccine became known. The patients no longer wanted it. In this context, “The arrival of the Moderna vaccine at the end of May, then the Pfizer vaccine, made it possible to relaunch vaccination in the city”, they testify.
Every morning, Dr. Fortane examines the list of his unvaccinated patients, made available to attending physicians by Medicare. Of his 2,000 patients, around 250 are not vaccinated. Among them, procrastinators, people who do not leave their homes and outright antivax, it would be futile to try to convince. “The hesitant will no longer be able to say that they are running out of time if I offer them the vaccine. “ It will also be able to administer the booster shots to its affected patients, those over 65 years of age and patients at risk of severe forms.
“It seems logical to me that the general practitioner, who follows his patients for a long time, is associated with this public health campaign”, Judge also Dr. Jean-Louis Bensoussan, general practitioner in Gragnague (Haute-Garonne), also general secretary of the MG France union. Each week, he carries out about twenty reminders, but he only administers one to three first doses, often in young people. “Who took their time”.
“I personalize my arguments”
“Since the start of the school year, I have been overwhelmed, I work in an under-endowed area and no longer have time to vaccinate, testifies, for his part, Doctor Sonia Djabella, general practitioner installed in Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis). Our practice had opened a few vaccination spots, but it doesn’t take any longer. “ In fact, the incidence of new infections continues to decline and we hear less about the pandemic. “When we open a bottle of Moderna [10 doses] for one person, we cannot find other vaccine candidates. We had to throw away more than half-full bottles. “ Will laboratories end up offering individual doses, she wonders?
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