The Ministry of Health mentions “a current context of more marked circulation of the virus”.
It will start two weeks before the scheduled date. The new vaccination campaign against Covid-19 will begin on October 2, instead of October 17, announced the Minister of Health, Aurélien Rousseau, Friday September 15. In question : “a current context of more marked circulation of the virus”. Franceinfo returns in four questions to this new autumn campaign.
1How big is the epidemic currently?
Due to the disappearance of certain censuses and indicators, monitoring of the evolution of Covid-19 is much less precise than it was, particularly at the height of the pandemic. Despite the vagueness, a clear trend is emerging: the number of cases is clearly increasing.
>> Covid-19: why has it become so difficult to know where the epidemic is?
“What is certain is that we are once again seeing patients arriving in emergency rooms and hospitals”assures Franceinfo Benjamin Davido, infectious disease specialist at the Raymond-Poincaré hospital in Garches (Hauts-de-Seine). “There is a 30% increase in Covid consultations in hospital this week, and 30% of these patients end up in hospital (…) It’s still summer, the weather is quite good and this unfortunately portends a difficult autumn and perhaps winter.”he anticipates.
2What vaccines are administered?
According to the Ministry of Health, “vaccines adapted to the majority circulating variant (XBB1.5) are available”. Health insurance writes that, for this new campaign, bivalent messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines “adapted to the Omicron variant are recommended as first line, regardless of the vaccine previously administered”. Vaccination is free, recalls the Ministry of Health.
Why refer to the Omicron variant, which was already making waves at the end of 2021? XBB1.5 is a sub-variant of Omicron. BA.2.86, which was first detected in France at the end of August, is a descendant of the BA.2 variant, itself a sub-variant of Omicron. The first scientific data “suggest that the XBB1.5 variant is susceptible to new vaccines that will be available in early fall”declared in the columns of Releaseat the end of August, Brigitte Autran, president of the Health Risk Monitoring and Anticipation Committee (Covars).
The Comirnaty vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech is recommended for people under 30 years old. For those who do not wish to receive an mRNA vaccine or have contraindications, “it is possible to use VidPrevtyn Beta vaccines from Sanofi and Nuvaxovid from Novavax as a booster”specifies health insurance.
3Who is the target audience strongly encouraged to be vaccinated?
The Ministry of Health points “the most fragile”. Health insurance first mentions on its site people over 65 years old and those – from 6 months – “suffering from comorbidities with a higher risk of a serious form of the disease (complicated arterial hypertension, cardiac, vascular, hepatic, renal, pulmonary problems, diabetes, obesity, cancers, transplant recipients, people with Down syndrome or psychiatric disorders or of dementia)”. It also refers to immunocompromised people, pregnant women, people who reside in nursing homes and long-term care units.
Health insurance notes that people who live “in the entourage or in regular contact with immunocompromised or vulnerable people, including professionals in the health and medico-social sectors”are also strongly encouraged to be vaccinated.
“Many people must be vaccinated if we want to avoid the probability, even low, of ending up in hospital, and potentially having a serious form”comments Benjamin Davido. “The objectivehe insists, it’s a booster vaccination twice a year for those over 80, the 15 to 20 million French people who have comorbidities, but also those over 65.”
However, if you wish, you can benefit from an injection without falling into the categories listed above. A period of six months must have passed since your last injection of an anti-Covid-19 vaccine, reminds the Directorate General of Health (PDF link).
4Can we get vaccinated at the same time as for seasonal flu?
Vaccination campaigns against Covid-19 and seasonal flu were to begin at the same time, on October 17. They will ultimately start staggered, but, when they are both launched, it will be entirely possible to receive both injections during the same appointment.
In its recommendations relating to the vaccination strategy against Covid-19, the High Authority for Health (PDF link) “confirms its recommendation to offer the concomitant administration of vaccines against Covid-19 and against seasonal flu, as long as a person is eligible for both vaccinations, regardless of their age”. The instance “reminds that injections must be performed at two different injection sites. In short, it can be an injection in each arm, a few seconds apart.