“Covid-19 Vaccination Suspension for Caregivers to be Reinstated, says French Health Minister”

Caregivers who had been suspended for lack of a complete vaccination schedule against Covid-19 will be able to be reinstated, announced before the weekend the Minister of Health, François Braun, who plans the…

Caregivers who had been suspended for lack of a complete vaccination schedule against Covid-19 will be able to be reinstated, announced before the weekend the Minister of Health, François Braun, who provides for the publication of a decree to this effect “mi -may”.

This decision follows the favorable opinion of the High Authority for Health (HAS) given at the end of March on the lifting of the vaccination obligation against Covid for caregivers and other professionals concerned.

“These carers are going to be reintegrated. In recent weeks, I have brought together all the stakeholders, because I want the reintegration to take place, but in good conditions”, announced the Minister of Health on the sidelines of a trip to the Marne on Friday. His remarks were taken up on Sunday in the local newspaper Le Pays Briard and Monday by Le Parisien.

“The non-vaccinated are not necessarily expected with flowers in all departments and everywhere,” he said.

“The instruction is ready. I will sign it at the very beginning of next week (note: from May 2). The implementing decree will be for mid-May,” he said.

Paris had opted for the constraint at the end of the summer of 2021: the obligation to be vaccinated was required from 2.7 million people, caregivers but also staff from hospitals and retirement homes, paramedics, home helpers or firefighters.

Failing to certify a complete vaccination schedule (two, then three doses), a few thousand have since been suspended, without remuneration.

“A very minority or even marginal phenomenon” for the ministry, which estimated in March the proportion of hospital agents still concerned “around 0.3%”. Same tiny proportion on the Liberal side, where Health Insurance counted less than 2,000 suspended caregivers in mid-March.

The question of their reintegration had become a political battle horse, in particular for the National Rally and La France insoumise.

The communist group put this reintegration on the agenda of its parliamentary niche on May 4. For the minister, “the best thing would be to withdraw discussions on this project, since, as they say, things will be done”.

cel/dch