Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: PEAKSTOCK / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRAR / LDA / Science Photo Library via AFP 13:34 p.m., October 02, 2023

A new vaccination campaign against Covid-19, targeted at the most at-risk populations, starts on Monday. Initially, it was to be carried out at the same time as the one against influenza, from October 17. But the virus has once again invited itself into the back-to-school calendar.

A new vaccination campaign against Covid-19, targeted at the most at-risk populations, starts on Monday, the government having decided to bring it forward to cope with the epidemic recovery. "The virus is circulating, each of us can see cases around him. The epidemic, it is here, "said mid-September to AFP the Minister of Health Aurélien Rousseau to justify this decision to finally accelerate the device.

Initially, the anti-Covid vaccination was to be carried out at the same time as the flu vaccination, from 17 October. But the virus has once again invited itself into the back-to-school calendar, after reappearing in the middle of summer. Although the surveillance system for the virus has been considerably reduced, the rebound of the epidemic, confirmed by the few indicators still available, is beyond doubt. Faced with this situation, the Committee for Monitoring and Anticipating Health Risks (Covars) recommended in mid-September "access to the vaccination booster as soon as possible".

"Better targeting variants"

This will mainly target people over 65 years old, fragile people, people with comorbidities, pregnant women, residents of nursing homes or people in contact with fragile people. Any other person wishing a recall will be able to claim it free of charge, provided they respect a period of six months after their last injection or Covid infection. This vaccination can be carried out in the city, by a doctor, a pharmacist, but also a nurse, a midwife, or even a dentist.

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"We do well to advance the recall campaign," especially to avoid overloading hospitals, said Etienne Simon-Lorière, virologist and head of the National Center for Respiratory Infections at the Pasteur Institute. For this new campaign, messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, adapted to the XXB.1.5 variant (Omicron subvariant), which is widely used, are recommended as a first-line treatment, regardless of the vaccine previously administered. They should be more effective against the various variants currently circulating, including EG.5.1.

"The updated vaccines should make it possible to better target the variants circulating today, but other sub-lineages have already emerged since their conception," says Etienne Simon-Lorière. In addition to vaccination, health authorities continue to recommend barrier measures, mainly in case of infection. But this message seems less heard, three and a half years after the beginning of the epidemic.