From this Monday, the vaccination pass replaces the health pass on your phone. If you have a complete vaccination schedule, one to two doses depending on the vaccine, plus the booster, you can continue to present your QR Code at the entrance to bars, restaurants, cinemas.
A negative Covid test, on the other hand, will no longer suffice, except for the non-vaccinated, who will receive a first dose by February 15, and undertake to receive a second afterwards. For the moment, the entry into force of the vaccination pass has not led to an increase in attendance at the Belle-Isle vaccination center in Châteauroux.
Mainly third doses
Seat rows are empty. Volunteers, nurses and doctors wait for patients, more than the reverse. Florian, 22, comes to take his booster dose, without the risk of losing his vaccination pass. “I still had time, I had at least until February as the reminder is [jusqu’à] seven months after the second dose. But hey, might as well do it now.“
I had no trouble making an appointment, it was pretty quick.
Caregivers forced to recall before January 30
Behind Florian, Manon, 20, came out of obligation. She is a nursing assistant, and like all professionals in the medical sector, she must receive her booster dose before January 30. She is doing it “especially for work.”
If I hadn’t had this job, I wouldn’t have done it, or I would have delayed.
“That’s it, done, hoping there’s no fourth dose“, she blurts out after the injection.
The center is currently carrying out approximately 260 injections per day, 160 from Pfizer and 100 from Moderna. Last month, during the December rush, he was running at full speed, and performing about 500 vaccines a day.
A few first doses
Every day, a dozen Indians come to be vaccinated for the first time. This is the case of Sarah, 18, student nurse. “I have to take the vaccine to continue my professional career. I wasn’t necessarily for it, but since it was a bit of an obligation, I’m here.“His Covid recovery certificate, valid for six months, is about to expire.
– Juliette Geay
Vaccination delayed by high positivity rate.
According to Dr. Bruno Doucet, the center’s coordinating physician, the slight slowdown in vaccination is linked to several factors, and in particular the high number of contaminations with the Omicron variant. “If people are positive, they have Covid disease, that postpones vaccination by three months“, he explains. The High Authority for Health recommends waiting two to six months to inject a new dose of vaccine after contamination.
Furthermore, “not all people realized that their vaccination pass was going to expire soon“, continues the doctor.
That’s why the department asked us to leave a lot of slots open.
Finally, he notes that the Moderna vaccine is still not very popular. “People still have a reluctance with Moderna vaccination compared to Pfizer; however, it has been shown that the Moderna protects a little better than the Pfizer.“
Faced with the low number of appointments for Moderna, the center only opened Pfizer lines this Sunday afternoon. According to the doctor, the number of appointments should increase again in the coming days, with the opening of the booster dose for 12-17 year olds who wish, from this Monday.