Covid-19 vaccination: everything you need to know about the new campaign starting this Monday 15 April.

How many people will offer their shoulder to a pharmacist or doctor for an injection before the summer? In the spring of 2023, only 2% of people over 80 had been revaccinated against Covid-19. A new campaign designed to protect the most vulnerable people starts this Monday and will last for at least two months. “Getting a booster vaccination in the spring will help protect you during the summer, especially during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, during which the movement of people from around the world can contribute to a surge in the epidemic,” the Ministry of Health says. We take stock.

For whom ?

The people who are recommended to get a new dose of the vaccine are those who are most at risk of severe illness if they become infected with Covid-19:

• people aged 80 years and older,
• immunocompromised patients (transplant recipients suffering from autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, etc.) regardless of their age,
• residents of nursing homes and long-term care units, regardless of age,
• any person at very high risk (serious illness, extreme weakness, etc.) “as part of a medical decision”

Whatever your profile, you must not have been vaccinated or infected (provided you are aware of it) in the three months preceding vaccination.

Do what ?

“Strengthen” your immune shield, including against severe forms. Indeed, this protection “declines more rapidly” among people over 80 and those with weakened immune systems, the Higher Health Authority (HAS) said in a report presented on February 9. Based on multiple studies reviewed last year, HAS concluded that “the effectiveness of booster vaccinations declines for several months after administration, and this decline in protection varies by age, with people aged 80 years and older experiencing an earlier decline in protection.

However, older people often didn’t get their last shot until last fall. Hence the interest in giving them a new dose without waiting to boost their antibody levels. Thus, as in spring 2023, the goal is to “reduce the number of deaths and the occurrence of severe disease.” And this will not stop them from contacting us again next fall.

With what vaccine?

The vaccine that will be prioritized is Pfizer/BioNTech. It targets a variant of Omicron (XBB.1.5) quite close to the one that largely predominates today. There are also two versions available for children (6 months – 4 years and 5 – 11 years). A vaccine based on technology other than messenger RNA is also available, namely Novavax’s vaccine targeting the same Omicron variant.

Or ?

As always, vaccination can be done at a pharmacy, doctor, nurse, midwife or even an oral surgeon. Simply make an appointment without bringing any documents with you. The injection is fully covered by health insurance, in other words, you (still) have nothing to pay.

What if I miss the target?

The Department of Health confirmed this to us in February: an adult who is not included in the target below but wishes to be re-vaccinated, for example if they have a concern or health problem, can. Here, too, it’s free and just by appointment. But it is better to talk to your doctor in advance.