The vaccination rates against influenza and Covid-19 are “insufficient” as the Christmas holidays approach, when there will be many mixtures of the population, and in a context of deteriorating epidemic indicators, the Ministry warned on Tuesday of health.
“There are three weeks of mobilization left before Christmas, it is now that it is time,” the Ministry of Health and Prevention indicated during a press conference. Vaccination levels today “are not enough,” he said.
On Monday, 2 million people had received a booster vaccine against Covid-19 since the launch of the booster campaign on October 3 with bivalent vaccines. Between them, 1.8 million people have been injected with such vaccines, which target the parent strain and the Omicron strain of Covid.
By age group, 9.4% of people aged 80 and over received some dose of bivalent vaccines, as did 7.2% of people aged 60 to 79.
A message of “total mobilization”
According to the ministry, only 21% of people aged 80 and over and 37% of people aged 60 to 79 are today “sufficiently protected by vaccination or previous infection”.
As for the flu, whose vaccination campaign began on October 18, the figures have dropped 13% compared to last year, with 5 million vaccines reimbursed by health insurance as of November 20.
“We have a very important margin of progress”, stressed the Ministry of Health, launching a message of “total mobilization” to all people in the vaccination target: over 60 years of age, immunocompromised, their families and health professionals.
People over 60 whose last infection or dose was more than 6 months ago – three months for those over 80 – “can and should have a 5th dose,” the ministry insisted. “It is crucial to guarantee the protection of the most fragile, in a context of a resurgence of Covid, and the appearance of the flu epidemic”, he summarized.
Source: BFM TV
