The government announced on Saturday that it would release additional doses of flu vaccines, in response to concerns from pharmacists who fear they will not have enough available as the epidemic appears to be about to begin in France.
"To support the holiday period and avoid any tension, we will gradually release the additional doses already secured," said Health Minister Stéphanie Rist on the X network (formerly Twitter).
This decision was at the request of one of the two main pharmacists' organizations, the Union of Pharmacy Unions (Uspo). On Saturday, the union warned the media outlet Franceinfo that the available doses would soon be exhausted.
The current vaccination campaign, which began in mid-October, seems to be off to a good start. The number of doses sold by pharmacies is higher than at the same time last year, a season that was ultimately marked by a very severe epidemic, according to data released earlier this week by the Directorate General of Health (DGS).
According to the USPO, the campaign risks becoming a victim of its own success. The organization reported to Franceinfo that only 1.5 million doses were still available, with pharmacies already struggling to find vaccines to administer.
She therefore called on the government to release additional doses, using a reserve stockpile held by the authorities. It was from this reserve that Ms. Rist announced the release of some doses.
When contacted by AFP, the USPO expressed cautious satisfaction. The measure will work "if the release of doses is carried out smoothly and efficiently," said its president, Pierre-Olivier Variot.
"Not like: 'I order and I get the doses 10 days later'," he warned, referring to unfortunate experiences with Covid vaccination.
The seasonal flu epidemic has not officially started in mainland France, but it appears to be on the verge of beginning. This week, the public health agency classified three regions as being in a "pre-epidemic" state: Île-de-France, Normandy, and Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
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