Will there again be a shortage of doses? Between the vaccination of adolescents who should accelerate with the start of the school year and the recall campaign also scheduled for September, the vaccination centers have not finished running at full speed. Especially since this Tuesday noon, the
High Authority of Health has just issued an opinion that would be a game-changer on the recall campaign … We take stock of this new stage in the fight against Covid-19.
What does the opinion of the Haute Autorité de santé change?
Last week, the Ministry of Health had planned that these recalls only concern French people over 80 years old, people suffering from very high-risk pathologies of serious forms and immunocompromised people.
But Olivier Véran announced Monday evening on BFMTV that finally, these new doses could concern all over 65 years. Thus following the opinion of the Haute Autorité de santé.
This notice, published on Tuesday, recommends offering a recall to those 65 and over as well as to all people who present at risk comorbidities of serious forms of Covid-19.
Another important change: all people who have received the Janssen vaccine, the only one to be single-dose, will eventually have to have a second dose, no earlier than four weeks after the second dose.
We then go from 5 million people to be vaccinated again… to 18 million.
What timetable?
If the ministry specified that the last arbitrations should intervene during this week, it seems to envisage a deployment in two stages. Namely, as for the initial vaccination campaign, prioritization of the most vulnerable. “The appointment setting will begin next Monday [pour les plus de 80 ans] with injections from September 1 in town, the ministry said during a press point on Tuesday. For nursing homes and USLDs (Long-term care unit), orders will be placed on August 30, vaccination can begin on Monday September 13. People vaccinated with Janssen would be part of this first step.
However, opening to everyone over 65 should wait until October. “This booster dose must be administered after a period of at least six months following the complete primary vaccination”, specifies in a press release the HAS. However, some septuagenarians did not have their second dose until June. “In fact, these recalls will be spread over time,” insists the Ministry of Health.
Second reason: “The HAS proposes, to avoid any delay in influenza vaccination and simplify the vaccination course, to carry out the concomitant administration of vaccines against Covid-19 and against seasonal influenza”. However, like every year, the flu vaccine will not be available until the end of October. This double vaccination can be done on the same day. “Otherwise, it takes two weeks between injections, said the entourage of Olivier Véran. A combined influenza / Covid vaccine is under study, but not immediately. “
Could these recalls concern people under 65?
The answer is not clear cut. Because studies change public health policies every week. In its opinion, the HAS “considers that there is, to date, no data in favor of the systematic administration of a booster dose beyond the people targeted by government announcements and by its opinion . However, the administration of a booster dose will probably become necessary in the coming months, without it being yet possible at this stage to make a precise statement, neither on the target population nor on the timetable. HAS will therefore have to revise its recommendations as soon as new data justifies it. “
Will there be enough doses?
The government does not seem to fear any shortage. It is clear that the slots are still free in many cities and that the rate of vaccination continued to slow down in August. In addition, the country expects very important deliveries, in particular from Moderna. “In August we were to receive 12 million doses,” says the Ministry of the Economy. For September, we should have 22 million. There is no tension on the supply. This will allow us to continue the vaccination and start the recall campaign. “
It should be noted that in its opinion, the HAS recommends administering a messenger RNA vaccine, without preference for Moderna or Pfizer, both being effective against the delta variant.
Would recalls deprive developing countries of valuable doses?
France is not the only country to take the path of recalls. And this new announcement, after that of Israel and the United States, will not delight the World Health Organization. Who has been pleading for several weeks for the precious serums to go to developing countries rather than to the West, already well protected in the face of the pandemic.
“The WHO is not opposed to the recalls, but says that it is necessary to prioritize the donations of vaccines, France does both”, defends the Ministry of Health. Stating that France has given Covax 12 million doses of AstraZeneca since April 2021. “On August 10, we signed an agreement with Pfizer, which will allow us to give doses to Covax as early as September,” added the ministry of ‘Economy. We are negotiating with Janssen, and we hope to be able to give doses before October. As for Moderna, discussions are just beginning, but the ministry is also targeting October for new donations.