The first vaccidrive in France opened its doors near Montpellier. At the Saint-Jean clinic, it is now possible to get vaccinated against Covid-19 from your car. – Jérôme Diesnis / Maxele Presse Agency
- The first vaccidrive in France opened its doors on an experimental basis in the Saint-Jean clinic, in the metropolis of Montpellier.
- People are vaccinated directly from their vehicle, after having previously consulted a doctor and made an appointment via the usual sites or applications.
- “It’s user-friendly, more comfortable… even if it’s not more reassuring,” explains Georges, the first person in France to have benefited from this injection from his car.
His name is Georges. He became the first, in France, to have received a dose of vaccine against Covid-19 … without moving from his car. The first vaccidrive in France was opened on Tuesday, in Saint-Jean-de-Védas, a town in the metropolis of Montpellier. “It’s user-friendly, more comfortable… even if it’s not more reassuring”, explains the “number one” patient.
In the Hérault department, the bar of 400 hospitalizations was crossed on Monday, a quarter of which is placed in intensive care or intensive care. “We must move towards collective immunity. We therefore need different methods so that the population can have a choice, ”underlines Laurent Ramon, CEO of the Cap Santé group. “To win the war against the pandemic, we must step up vaccination. We have thought about all the avenues that would make it possible to intensify it, ”notes Jacques Teissier, chairman of the medical committee of the Saint-Jean clinic.
“Staying in a car means not being in contact with any fragile population”
The Cap Santé group, which includes the clinic where this first vaccidrive is located, was inspired by a model that already existed in the United States. “We brought up this idea on March 22 and ten days later we had the agreement” of the ARS and the State, continues Laurent Ramon. “The number one advantage is to be in your car and not to be in contact with any other fragile population, or even carriers of Covid-19, since there is no test before vaccination”, continues Jacques Teissier.
The process is the same as for a classic vaccination: it starts with making an appointment with a doctor. “We went to our doctor on Thursday. We connected to Doctolib in the evening. And we made an appointment for the drive, ”explains Jean-Jacques, third person in France to have received an injection without moving his vehicle. It’s easy. We called all our friends ”to advise them to do the same. “
“We hope to open a second or even a third track”
“In the department, 260,000 people have already received their first dose of vaccine and 70,000 the second dose”, details the prefect of Hérault Jacques Witkowski, who mentions, for this department of 1.165 million inhabitants, “a current rate from 32,000 to 33,000 weekly vaccinations ”. This Tuesday, via the drive, about fifty people benefited from the first doses of Pfizer or Moderna, the two vaccines available in the establishment.
This flow is expected to grow rapidly. The Saint-Jean clinic delivers a thousand vaccines per week. “The vaccidrive aims to double this figure. Maybe 2,000 vaccinations when there is a second track, 3,000 if we open a third… but still it is necessary to have the vaccines. We all know the supply difficulties in France. But we have a little more every day, ”concludes Laurent Ramon.