Avenue Duquesne, we always deny any difficulty in supplying vaccine doses. The period between the two doses of vaccination against monkeypox, until then twenty-eight days, has however been extended for non-immunocompromised people, the Ministry of Health announced on Thursday August 4. “As part of the preventive vaccination strategy (…) and in order to guarantee the greatest number of people at risk access to vaccination.the ministry said it had “recommended to vaccination sites, in accordance with the opinion of the HAS [Haute Autorité de santé] July 7to lengthen the interval between the first and second dose for non-immunocompromised people”.
The High Authority for Health had recommended, in its opinion at the beginning of July, a vaccination schedule “two doses, 28 days apart”but indicated “that a spacing of doses of several weeks could be considered in the event of a tension in the supply of vaccines”. Asked whether the extension of the deadline was linked to such tension, the ministry nevertheless reaffirmed on Thursday that“there is no tension in the supply of vaccines”.
Two doses of vaccine are recommended for most people who are eligible as a priority, mainly men who have sex with men, transgender people with multiple sexual partners, sex workers and professionals in places of sexual consumption.
France has “enough to vaccinate the target population”, according to the minister
In recent days, there have been reports of cancellations of appointments for a second dose. The ministry pointed out that “Already scheduled second dose appointments should not be cancelled” and “patients whose second dose would be assessed as a priority by a doctor for health, treatment or exposure reasons, will benefit from an appointment”. In contrast, “unscheduled second dose appointments can be scheduled later”.
Health Minister Francois Braun reiterated on Wednesday, during his first visit to a monkeypox vaccination center, that France had “enough to vaccinate the target population (…)i.e. 250,000 people”. After recalling the destocking of 42,000 doses, he assured that the government is “able to increase vaccinations as needed”. “Whatever the effectiveness of the vaccine after one or two doses, it will never be 100%”warned the ministry on Thursday, insisting on prevention in parallel.
So far, some 18,500 people have received a first dose of the vaccine. According to a count stopped Tuesday, August 2 by the health authorities, 2,239 cases have been confirmed in France. Unlike other countries like Spain, France currently has no deaths to report.