The end of the year is here, and with it the endless parade of meals with family or friends. For the second time, the talks will undoubtedly be placed under the banner of the pandemic. And this is more so because France is going through a fifth wave, and the variant Omicron, which is highly contagious, is settling in the territory.
91,608 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed Thursday, a record high. There are 16,060 people currently in hospitals, of whom 3,208 are in critical care services, according to French Public Health. Something to fear, as elsewhere in Europe, of the return of restrictions in France. The government’s management of the pandemic, and the behaviors to be followed individually, continue to divide the French. Not to mention that not everyone has access to the same level of information about the virus or vaccines. To handle conversations about COVID in a peaceful way, Express It details the most pressing questions at the moment, and gives you clues to answer with one.
- “It’s been six months, and now four months… No one understands when you can get your third dose!”
Five months after the second injection, or after contamination: This is the time after which you can receive the booster dose. From six months initially, this period was reduced to five on the 27th, in response to concerns about the Omicron variant. On December 17, at the end of the Health Defense Council meeting, Prime Minister Jan Castex announced that the deadline would be reduced to four months from January 3. This will have an impact on the health card: you will have six months (compared to seven currently) to perform the boost before it is deactivated. If you are in doubt about the date by which you can receive the vaccination, you can use simulation tool Available on the government website.
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The delay is likely to decrease further in the coming weeks. In the face of the spread of variant Omicron, the High Authority for Health (HAS) recommended in its opinion published Friday that a booster dose of the vaccine can be carried out from three months. It also recommends giving a booster dose to adolescents aged 12-17 years who are most at risk.
How do we explain these changes, and the time differences by country? “No country has yet evaluated, with enough people, whether it’s a two-week wait, a month, or six months for the second and third dose, allowing for a better immune response to be generated in the long term. Which explains because we’re doing this. We’re going through a major health crisis. : We are facing the seriousness of the situation,” explained L’Express Professor Jacques Isopt, Head of the Department of Virology at Toulouse University Hospital, last week.
But these choices are still based on experience with other vaccines and robust studies. These results reveal that, after reaching a maximum peak one month after the second injection, the antibody number and cellular response gradually decrease after three to five months and decrease more sharply after six months. Our article on this topic To read here.
For people vaccinated with Janssen, the booster dose with the messenger RNA vaccine should be given as early as four weeks after the injection. Severely immunocompromised people may be given a booster dose three months after the last injection, on medical advice. Other things to know about the summoning campaign I read here. If you are wondering about the possible side effects of a booster,from here.
- “No one gets vaccinated with the first dose today!”
“Whether it’s a first dose or a booster dose, it’s time for a vaccination,” Emmanuel Macron said in a video posted Thursday on the social network TikTok. There is always time to get your first dose if you or your loved one has been reluctant to receive a vaccination yet.
You will not be alone. Appointment booking platform Doctolib noticed an increase in appointments for the initial vaccination at the beginning of the week. This does not include people who make an appointment directly with their pharmacist or practitioner. As of September 22, 36,069 people have received the first dose, according to daily recorded immunization data. by the Ministry of Health. A much higher number than the average for the past few weeks, which was about 20,000 first injections per day.
Does this mean an uptick in initial vaccinations, or are we quickly reaching a glass ceiling? It is not certain that the health authorities were able to convince the hesitant. But experts believe that it is still possible to “go” to older people who are not vaccinated, are not so mobile and are far from digital and public services. You can find it here, our article on this issue.
What about scammers with fake health permits? The Ministry of Interior identified 182,000 traders on Monday, as part of 400 investigations. A few days ago, Olivier Veran announced before the National Assembly that the government was working on a “regime of penitence”. The Minister of Health expressed his hope “that those who benefit from a forged document will be able to organize themselves and abandon prosecutions” because “the urgent need is for people to be vaccinated and protected.” Our interpretationsto discover it here.
- “Pfizer or Moderna? I definitely don’t want Moderna!”
On December 3, Olivier Veran confirmed that patients could receive a vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna indiscriminately, regardless of their first dose vaccine. Also note that European health authorities encourage combinations of vaccines.
“The only difference is if you’re under 30, we’d rather offer you Pfizer than our Modern,” he said. This decision was made after studies indicating a slightly increased risk of developing myocarditis and pericarditis in young adults under 30 years of age with the Moderna vaccine. Must read our explanations here and here.
And Novafax? This US vaccine is the fifth anti-Covid vaccine to be licensed by the European Union. Like children’s vaccines already widely used, it is called a “subunit” serum, based on proteins that trigger an immune response, without a virus. This technology is similar to that used in the decades-old hepatitis B and pertussis vaccines that are widely used around the world. Something to reassure those who fear the messenger RNA. But its effectiveness has so far been proven only on the original strain of the vaccine. You can learn more by reading This article.
- “We are already talking about a fourth dose.. Where will it end?”
The French government has not yet raised the possibility of a fourth dose. Unlike Israel. The recall pioneer authorized a fourth injection for immunocompromised over-60s and caregivers. But no study has been published on this topic.
“There is no guarantee that it is safe, even if you assume that there is no significant risk, or even greater risk than previous injections,” explained Lexpress Zvika Granot, an Israeli immunologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in an article. To read here. We’ll have to wait until we have a bigger perspective on the booster campaign and its effects before talking about a fourth dose.
- “And if we have Covid, how are things going for the passage of vaccination?”
On November 25, Olivier Veran recalled the “rule” in effect: “Infection means an injection” of a vaccine. In other words :
If you contracted Covid-19 before vaccination, and therefore received one injection four months or more ago, you may receive a second booster dose.
– If you had a first injection, then took Covid, after four months, you can have a second booster shot.
If you become infected with Covid-19 after receiving a full vaccination schedule, you may benefit from a booster dose five months after infection. This is one of the questions in our guide to the third dose., to read here.
Note, the time required to perform the booster after the injection will be reduced to four months from January 3, 2022, and it will be necessary to do so within six months to maintain the passage of vaccination. But no details were provided on the “proof of refund” after contracting with Covid, allowing the card to be valid for six months. The authorities also did not specify whether the four-month period after infection would also apply after the injection.
- “Either way, summoning is useless against Omicron!”
The Omicron variant continues its meteoric rise and into the world, and worries due to its high transmissibility. In addition, it has the ability to re-infect people who are already infected or vaccinate. Laboratory studies show that two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccine barely neutralize the alternative, five months after vaccination. However, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine works 70 percent against severe cases after two doses for all ages, according to a South African study.
And the booster works, even if the result is less effective than the initial virus. newly Imperial College Modeling From London, UK, the effectiveness of a Pfizer-BioNTech “booster” is estimated to be between 55% and 80%. We still lack the numbers for acute forms, but we can hope for more protection than the first two doses. Our moderators too communication The good protection it provides. the details To read here.
- “It is shameful that France is opening a vaccine for children!”
France, on Wednesday, opened the vaccination of children between the ages of 5 and 11 years in appropriate doses. To make this decision, the government relied on several facts. First, the opinion of the European Medicines Agency, which on November 25 approved the use of the messenger RNA vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech for young people aged 5 to 11 years. The agency explained that “the benefit (…) is greater than the risk, especially for those whose condition increases the risk of contracting a severe form of Covid-19.” Additionally, in early December, the World Health Organization called for better protection for youngsters.
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The National Advisory Ethics Committee (CCNE) issued a favorable opinion on childhood vaccination on 17 December. “Vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 years without co-morbidities is ethically acceptable in the current context,” she said, setting some conditions. The CCNE thus excluded any obligation to vaccinate children, including the implementation of the health clearance as for adolescents. As for the Steering Council for Vaccine Strategy (COSV), which advises the executive, on December 6 it estimated that the benefit, even if small, could be interesting. Express provides details of these reviews at This article ; And this answer Frequently asked questions, such as dosages. France has also benefited from the experiences of other countries that have already started immunizing children, such as the United States, Austria and Cuba. the details I read here.
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