During its epidemiological update of June 23, Public Health France wanted to point out an increasingly significant and worrying differential between the active circulation of the BA-4 and BA-5 variants of Covid-19 and the current weak dynamic. of vaccination regarding booster doses. In all age groups, incidence and positivity rates are increasing, but only 26.5% of 60-79 year olds and 30.1% of over 80 year olds have so far received a fourth dose. Thus, less than 2.2 million second reminders were injected, out of more than 8.7 million eligible people. Note that this second vaccination booster is only open, for the moment, to those over 60 and to immunocompromised people.
Faced with this situation, the public health agency is calling on the political authorities to raise awareness, and for several days, voices have been heard to encourage the population to once again roll up their sleeves. This Thursday, June 23, the Minister of Health, Brigitte Bourguignon, called for an “intensification of vaccination”, which she will not be able to oversee due to her defeat in the legislative elections, forcing her to resign from her post. Doctor Gilles Pialoux, for his part, called on the French “not to wait for coercion to return to vaccination”. Because, in the face of the upsurge, hovers over France the return of restrictive measures such as the rebirth of the health pass or the wearing of a mask.
Waste but reservations
The call for vaccination is spreading, but it is still necessary to have enough vaccines in reserve. At first sight, this is the case, since approximately 69 million doses are currently stored. To mention the main laboratories, know that France has, as of June 27, 15,315,084 doses of Pfizer, 20,039,470 doses of Moderna and 1,798,280 doses of Novavax. Since Friday June 24, it can also count on the marketing of the first vaccine developed by a French laboratory, Valneva.
Nevertheless, the short lifespan of most vaccines against Covid-19 could call for caution. Indeed, the shelf life of vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca is six months and that of Moderna is seven, which, according to the Observatory for Transparency in Medicines Policies, means that 900,000 doses will soon end up. expired. At the end of March, the general directorate of health did not hide that 218,000 doses of AstraZeneca had to be thrown away by France, for lack of having found patients in time. This waste, disastrous for countries that do not have easy access to vaccines, will have no bad consequences in France. Guest of France Info this morning, Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, also assured him: “We have the necessary doses”. Especially since the State expects, by next year, the arrival of 148 million doses.