Covid-19: the government targets 400,000 people vaccinated at the end of the week

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CORONAVIRUS – The government hopes to reach 400,000 people vaccinated against Covid-19 at the end of the week, especially in nursing homes where less than 30,000 residents have received the vaccine, the Minister Delegate in charge of Autonomy said on Tuesday January 12. , Brigitte Bourguignon.

After strong criticism of the slow start of the vaccination campaign, the Ministry of Health announced Monday evening that more than 138,000 people in France were vaccinated on January 11. Of this total, there are 27,761 elderly people residing in retirement homes (on a target of around one million people), the others being health professionals, according to figures released Tuesday by the minister’s office.

“We will continue on this line to reach perhaps even 400,000 at the end of the week, that is the objective”, declared Brigitte Bourguignon, questioned on Public Senate.

The government, which expects to have received 2.6 million doses by the end of the month, has changed its strategy by opening vaccination to all health professionals over 50 years of age or frail, as well as to home helpers and firefighters. “This has had the effect of boosting the figures for a few days,” said Brigitte Bourguignon.

According to her, the vaccination centers which are currently opening in the territory “will multiply: there are 200 for the moment, there will be 350 at the end of the week, and 600 at the end of the month”.

“Theoretically, we had set ourselves to vaccinate the million residents of nursing homes (and assisted living facilities and independent residences, editor’s note) for the month of January. We must boost ”, continued the Minister.

Vaccinate the whole “ecosystem”

She set “the objective that at the end of January all nursing home residents who so wish can be vaccinated”.

“Instead of criticizing (the vaccination campaign), we should rather spend our time trying to sensitize those who are still skeptical, especially healthcare workers,” she said.

According to Brigitte Bourguignon, only “20% of staff accept vaccination” in nursing homes, a figure “which is not sufficient”. “In other sectors, such as the hospital environment, it is more widely accepted,” she said.

Thus, she did not rule out that a “national vaccination awareness campaign” could be launched soon.

Synerpa, a union representing the main private retirement homes, rightly called on the public authorities on Tuesday to “more communication, publicity, education” around vaccination.

The nursing homes also need “more visibility”, in particular on the possibility for an establishment to obtain new doses after a first round of vaccinations, and on the time to be respected between the two injections per patient, underlined during a press point Florence Arnaiz-Maumé, the general delegate of Synerpa.

Private establishments would also like to be authorized to vaccinate, at the same time as residents, “the entire ecosystem” of nursing homes, namely employees, families, and outside workers: “we are setting up a whole system with doctors and nurses to give 40 injections in three days, whereas we could do 100, it’s a real shame! ”, stressed Florence Arnaiz-Maumé.

Because contrary to the concerns often relayed – including by the minister -, the employees of nursing homes are “motivated and demanding enough” to be vaccinated, she assured, without citing figures.

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