Macron’s plan to defeat vaccine hesitation – POLITICO

The Paris-French government has doubled its efforts to boost COVID-19 vaccination, as the fourth wave of infection could hit earlier than expected.

Emmanuel Macron is expected to agree to require COVID-19 vaccination for healthcare and care home workers on Monday. He can go further and impose the use of the so-called COVID-19 Green Pass more broadly, impose travel restrictions and charge for COVID-19 tests related to leisure purposes.

This move occurs when authorities are staring at the barrel of another deadly infection outbreak, just as the rate at which people get their first jab has reached a new low.From the peak of over 400,000 per day According to Ministry of Health statistics, the number has decreased to 200,000 per day at the end of May.

The overall injection rate in France is still over 600,000 per day, but this is small Above the EU average.. But two-thirds of these are second jabs, not a good omen for France’s direction of travel. This is of particular concern to government health officials, as jabs are now available to everyone over the age of 12.

Gilbert Deray, head of the kidney ward at the Pitier Salpetriere Hospital in Paris, said the slump was “resistant to vaccination,” although it may be influenced by people on vacation. Is shown. ” “If you hit the glass ceiling, it’s serious because the coverage is less than 60%.”

The slowdown in immunization in France is similar to the trend observed in countries such as the United States and Germany, where more creative immunization is required.

But in France, where skepticism about vaccines is particularly rooted, doctors warn that the barrier is serious enough to threaten the goal of reaching herd immunity by the fall.the current Half of the french The population has received the first COVID-19 jab, and only one-third have both doses.

France Slightly below the EU average It lags behind Western countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States in terms of the proportion of vaccinated people.

The French case is also picking up.According to the country, daily infections have tripled in two weeks. Johns Hopkins data.Auto Auto Liteted Sante (HAS) said on Friday: The highly infectious Delta variant accounted for 43% of the sequenced positive cases from June 28 to July 4, compared with 21% last week.

As Europeans head to beaches and mountains this summer, experts say the variant accounts for 70% of all European cases in early August and could rise to 90% by the end of the month. Is called. And the only way to prevent another surge in severe cases or death is to get vaccinated quickly. According to Andrea Amon, Head of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

“There are still too many individuals at risk of severe COVID-19 infection that we need to protect as soon as possible,” Ammon said recently.

New measures for pipelines

Macron’s new impetus aims to defeat vaccine hesitation and avoid a fourth coronavirus wave that could plunge France into financial misery and diminish his chances of reelection. ..

The president is expected to announce new measures to discuss ways to strengthen immunization and defeat the imminent fourth wave after a special cabinet meeting between ministers and senior officials on Monday.

The government is particularly concerned about vaccinating health care workers. Only 60 percent of long-term care workersAccording to statistics from the French National Health Organization, and 80% of private health workers receive the first COVID-19 jab.

The government is expected to require health care workers to jab after the French COVID-19 Advisory Board came out in support of it last Friday.

France may also decide to extend the use of the COVID-19 Green Pass (a digital or paper certificate used to prove exemptions) to venues such as cinemas, theaters and restaurants. Currently, more than 1,000 participants are required to have a pass that includes proof of vaccination or a negative test.

Other measures at the table include imposing COVID-19 testing fees and travel restrictions to encourage people to be vaccinated.

“But the government will take [coercive measures] Is it within 10 months of the presidential election? There is nothing for sure. ”

According to Emily Calafirakis, head of European research for the London School of Economics and Tropical Medicine’s Vaccine Reliability Project, Macron is a vaccine born of a series of mismanagement and unsuccessful medical events. Fighting the unique history of hesitation.

In the 1980s, the country experienced the devastating effects of contaminated blood products, infecting thousands of hemophiliacs with HIV and hepatitis C. Then, in the 1990s, rumors spread that hepatitis B vaccine could cause multiple sclerosis.

According to Karafillakis, the government’s failure to explicitly communicate “declining confidence” in vaccination and “general” distrust of French authorities and politicians have spread.

To get people into the vaccination center, the government has doubled by taking a series of steps, including booking a second jab, outreach programs, and increasing the flexibility of advertising campaigns.

Some signs suggest that skepticism has eased. Recent Voting by OdoxaFor example, 81% of French people are vaccinated or will be vaccinated, showing an increase from about half earlier this year.

But poll figures show different shades of enthusiasm. For example, about 10% say they will be “probably” vaccinated.

“When the vaccination was open to everyone, everyone who really wanted to get a jab booked the reservation in a hurry,” said Odokisa pollster Emile Leclerc. It was. “Now, I’ll contact someone who is a little suspicious, who doesn’t plan to travel abroad this summer, or who just wants to spend some time.”

This story has been updated to clarify the data source for infection rates in France.