Caps for the third dose of vaccine? Since this Monday morning, fragile people, as well as those over the age of 65, can make an appointment for their coronavirus vaccine booster. The slots can be reserved from Wednesday. This vaccine campaign, announced on July 12 by Emmanuel Macron, comes when 16.8% of eligible French people have not received any dose and 8.9% are waiting to receive their second dose, according to the specialized site Covid Tracker.
It falls during the week of the start of the school year, but also fifteen days before the health pass is compulsory for caregivers and, finally, on the day it is put in place for employees of establishments open to the public. These are all factors that can lead to fear of a traffic jam on online booking platforms to get vaccinated,
like last july. We take stock.
How many people can potentially make an appointment this Monday to receive a third dose?
If we count only people aged over 80 at home, people suffering from very high-risk pathologies of serious forms and immunocompromised people, at least 5 million French people are affected by the vaccination campaign. By expanding to over 65s, we reach 18 million people, according to Doctolib. However, the online slot booking platform is reassuring: “The stimulus dose is recommended six months after the second injection. Only people vaccinated in January / February with a booster in February / March are affected by September 15. However, on March 15, there were only 2.4 million people with a complete cycle. “
What is the average waiting time today to find a vaccination niche in France?
Over the last seven days, the waiting time to find a vaccination window on Doctolib was four days on average in France. The timing may vary depending on the region, such as Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, where we find the longest delays, with five to six days of waiting on average to obtain a slot. Doctolib recalls, however, that the average delay of four days is “the lowest that we have had since the start of the vaccination campaign”.
Coupled with the obligation of the health pass for certain professions and at the start of the school year, does the opening of the third dose risk increasing the delays?
“The third dose appointments that will arrive very gradually should not create a situation similar to that of July,” explains Doctolib, which had recorded a record number of appointments made after the speech of Emmanuel Macron announcing the obligation to present a valid health pass to go to the restaurant, take the TGV or go to the cinema. The platform does not foresee any traffic jams linked to the return from the holidays.
Doctolib highlights in particular the “total flexibility” offered to the French, thanks in particular to the “choice of places of vaccination”, the difference between the two doses which can vary from three to seven weeks, the possibility of changing their appointment. online or to the “possibility to make an appointment for a double injection directly or a single injection depending on the patient’s situation”.
The platform emphasizes that thanks to the “remarkable work” of the vaccination centers and the caregivers “the vaccination campaign is a success and continues to progress”. Still according to Doctolib. The objective of 50 million first-time vaccinated should be reached “around September 6”, which represents more than 85% of the vaccineable population (over 12 years).