In France, the second booster dose is now authorized only for those over 60, at least six months after their last injection (three months for those over 80). In France, however, people who do not meet this legal obligation but who present a risk of developing serious forms of the disease, apply for this second booster dose.
In France, the health policy linked to the Covid-19 epidemic has sometimes brought its share of paradoxical situations. This is the case today for vaccination against the virus: the second booster dose is authorized for a 61-year-old Frenchman in good health, but not for a fifty-year-old suffering from immunosuppression. As a reminder, in France, only people aged at least 60 are authorized to undergo a new injection, at least six months after receiving their first booster shot. For people over 80, this period is shortened to three months. In the United States, this « fourth dose » is prohibited for people under 50, under 70 in Germany and under 75 in England.
In Quebec, we took the lead. The Province announced last Wednesday, May 4 that all adults who so wished had the possibility of receiving their second booster dose of vaccination.
2nd booster dose for 18-59 year olds: now possible to make an appointment on Clic Santé. No CIQ recommendation for this age group (apart from exceptions), but possible to administer it to those who wish. No contraindication.
— Health Quebec (@sante_qc) May 4, 2022
In France, the authorities have not yet ruled on this question. Yet the demand is there: in France, patients suffering from comorbidities, and who are at risk of developing serious forms of the disease, are waiting firmly for vaccine regulations to change. Others, on the other hand, less « at risk » and who received their first booster shot several months ago, are worried about contamination with the virus.
Candidates for the second booster dose
In Limoux (Aude), Philippe Besset, president of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France (FSPF), met in his pharmacy several candidates for the second booster vaccine, who were in this situation. “I have always held a firm position: I told them that I was going to take their contact details and that I would call them back when they were eligible, because there is no legal framework at the moment, explains the pharmacist in the columns of Parisian.
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The Directorate General of Health (DGS) for its part invites candidates to speak with their doctor: “Faced with any situation where the patient presents one or more risk factors which could expose him to a severe form of Covid, he It is recommended that he consults his attending physician, who is better able to assess his particular situation with regard to vaccination », respond the health authorities, contacted by the Parisian. Physicians would thus have the possibility, in very specific situations, of recommending the second booster dose of vaccination to patients under 60 years of age.
An extension to all adults?
However, will the French health authorities extend this second booster dose to all French people? On March 18, in its opinion, the High Authority for Health estimated that people who received this second booster dose were « better protected than those who only received a primary vaccination course against infection ». However, it ruled out the need to generalize this dose to the entire population, recommending it only for those over 65 years of age. For its part, the General Directorate of Health affirms that the opening of a second reminder to the entire adult population of France should not only depend on the health situation in France but also on the opinions which will be given by the Haute Health Authority and the Vaccine Strategy Guidance Council.
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On the health side, the Scientific Council has expressed its fears about the appearance of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 next fall in France. “The question is: which variant and how to fight?” Asked Jean-François Delfraissy, president of the Scientific Council, questioned on France Info. For the time being, vaccinations are at their lowest in France. “It will be necessary in the coming months for the French health authorities to remain vigilant”, estimated the epidemiologist Antoine Flahault in our columns.