In October, a new vaccination campaign against covid and flu will begin. To whom is it addressed in priority and who can vaccinate you? This is what awaits you.
If no clear worsening of the epidemiological situation is to be reported, Santé Publique Europe is however currently recording a 24.6% increase in the number of visits to the emergency room for symptoms suggestive of Covid-19, with the arrival of the Eris variant. In this context of vigilance, a new vaccination campaign will take place this fall.
A campaign that will begin in October
The idea is not new: in an opinion of February 23, the High Authority for Health (HAS) already recommended organizing a vaccination campaign against covid-19 for the fall, coupled with that against the flu, for people at risk of severe form, in the absence of epidemic resumption.
This vaccination campaign will thus begin on September 6 in Mayotte, and on October 17 in mainland Europe, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyana.
Who is targeted by this campaign?
Health authorities recommend double vaccination in several cases:
- In priority to people at risk, that is to say immunocompromised people and those with comorbidities such as chronic diseases, obesity or diabetes, and this, from the age of 6 months;
- Vulnerable people, pregnant women, people over 65, those with psychiatric disorders or Down’s syndrome are also affected, according to the Ministry of Health;
- Vaccination is also recommended for people in regular contact with people at risk;
- Finally, if the obligation to vaccinate medical and paramedical professionals was suspended last month, it remains “recommended” to professionals in close and prolonged contact with people at risk, in the health and medico-social sector, to also carry out the vaccination.
It should be remembered that vaccination against covid, free of charge, remains open to anyone who wishes it. This is to respect a period of six months after the last infection or injection.
Who can vaccinate?
Your doctor will obviously be able to carry out this vaccination, but he is no longer the only one. According to two decrees published in the Official Journal on August 9, theare pharmacists, nurses, and laboratory technicians now have extensive skills, including the administration of all injections in the vaccination schedule for people over 11 years of age. The midwives are also, for the first time, beneficiaries of these new measures. Pharmacy assistants and graduate students and short postgraduate pharmacy courses can also, under certain conditions, in addition to the administration of vaccines against Covid-19, administer vaccines against influenza in community pharmacies.
What vaccines will be used?
For the moment, the HAS recommends the use of ambivalent messenger RNA vaccines adapted to the Omicron variant, from Pfizer or from Moderna, for people over 30 years of age. Since Eris is now the majority variant in Europe, the Pfizer and Moderna laboratories, as well as Novavax, indicate that they are working on a new vaccine capable of targeting this new variant. This vaccine should be ready by the end of September.
As a reminder, four vaccines are currently available: Pfizer bivalent for those over 12 years old, Moderna bivalent for those over 30 years old, Novavax for those over 12 years old and Sanofi for those over 18 years old.
