Making vaccination compulsory to elderly people, the proposition of an epidemiologist

Published by Julie de Sortiraparis · Published on June 8, 2021 at 05:38 p.m.
According to Martin Blachier, the current data of 80% of elderly people over 75 years of age vaccinated in France will not be enough to prevent a surge of the epidemic this next Fall. To prevent a new saturation point in hospitals this Fall, the epidemiologist proposes to make vaccination compulsory to the most fragile ones.

This is a recurring question asked for months now: should vaccination be compulsory? As the government is still against it, epidemiologist Martin Blachier considers 20% of elderly people who are not vaccinated in France yet jeopardize hospitals this upcoming Fall.

If the health situation is improving today and the occupancy rate in hospitals is at 0% of ICU beds available at the beginning of the pandemic, experts fear a new surge in the epidemic and hospitalizations this next Fall if the entire at-risk population is not vaccinated.

Blachier explains that “according to our calculations, the 20% of vulnerable people not vaccinated will cause a hospital wave from October 2021. It is important to remind that during the first wave in March 2020, only 5% of the French population had been infected. Which had been more than enough to overcrowd our hospital services in two weeks”.

Aware of the government’s reluctance to impose vaccination to some trades or some population groups, the epidemiologist adds: “if we choose not to make vaccinating our senior compulsory, we need to prepare the people now to face Fall with a new epidemic wave”.

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