From this Monday, it is possible to make an appointment to be administered a third dose of anti-Covid vaccine. As of September 1, 18 million French people will be able to receive this booster dose. Who are the audiences concerned? When and how will they get vaccinated, and with what type of vaccine? We explain everything about this recall campaign.
Who is concerned ?
All the people of over 65, as well as fragile people, who present with comorbidities and are likely to develop a severe form of the coronavirus, are concerned by the administration of this third dose. The High Authority of Health recommended it in its opinion delivered on Tuesday, August 24.
In total, 18 million people are likely to receive the recall, estimates the Ministry of Health.
How long between the second and the third dose?
a at least six months should have elapsed between the second and third dose of vaccine. For the majority of French people concerned, the recall campaign should thus start in October, indicated the Minister of Health Olvier Véran.
Why a third dose?
The third dose is considered necessary because vaccine protection decreases, in a way “progressive and moderate”, with time, estimates the High Authority of Health, the HAS. A protection also reduced by the variant Delta, very contagious. According to a British study published on Wednesday, the effectiveness of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine goes from 88% to 74% after five to six months, and that of the AstraZeneca serum goes from 77% to 67% after four to five months.
“Giving a third dose improves immunity to the Delta variant by about 86%, compared to the immunity of people who have only had two doses.”, indicated on franceinfo Cyrille Cohen, immunologist at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv and member of the Covid-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials Advisory Board.
When will the recall campaign start?
In retirement homes, the campaign will start between September 11 and 15, said Olivier Véran, who hopes that it will be able to start on the 11th. This campaign will last four weeks, and should therefore be completed in mid-October in nursing homes. .
For other audiences concerned, appointments will be open from this Monday, August 30, and injections can start on September 1.
After October 23, it will be possible to do this anti-Covid reminder at the same time as the flu vaccination, which must begin on this date. The HAS had recommended combining the two vaccinations, to simplify travel and making appointments.
What type of vaccine?
The Haute Autorité de Santé recommends administering this third dose with a messenger RNA vaccine, like that of Pfizer / BioNTech or Moderna. “It will be a messenger RNA vaccine, whatever vaccines you have received previously”, Olivier Véran said Thursday evening.
This booster with a messenger RNA serum also concerns people who received the Janssen single dose vaccine, “from four weeks after” injection. It is indeed likely that a single dose is not sufficient to protect against the Delta variant, justifies the HAS.
How to make an appointment?
In nursing homes, vaccination will be provided within the establishments, after obtaining patient consent. For other audiences, the appointment will be made in the same way as for the first and second doses: via sites for making medical appointments such as Doctolib, at his or her attending physician, in pharmacy or with any other health professional qualified to vaccinate against Covid-19.
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