A first step towards the arrival of a vaccine against Covid-19 in Paris… Anne Hidalgo and health deputy mayor Anne Souyris announced this Friday November 20, 2020 during a meeting with arrondissement mayors they identified five potential sites that could be used to launch a massive vaccine campaign against coronavirus in Paris. The goal being that thanks to these five centers they can vaccinate 30 to 40% of the Parisian population starting January 2021 to curb the epidemic. Venues that are still confidential and devoted to vaccinating people at risk, elderly people and prioritized individuals first.
A process first required by the government agencies and that can still evolve – Paris mayor added. At first, several scenarios were considered, but with the announcement of the pending issuance of a vaccine, for logistical matter, they chose five centers to vaccinate people the most at risk. “We are in an old two tax horsepower, in the middle of the Mont-Blanc tunnel, and we suddenly see light at the end” Head of the Scientific Committee Jean-François Delfraissy explained during this meeting, as quoted by Le Monde.
This is also a forced decision for Prime Minister Jean Castex: “The Prime Minister and his Principal Private secretary told us: ‘Do not start this process in January all-out, because it will first target prioritized people’” Anne Hidalgo added. “We need to find balance between large enough sites to be effective enough and we have to find enough of them to be close to people” city’s secretary-general Marie Villette says. Besides these centers, other systems are to be created, such as setting up tents already used during the different screening phases set up by the city, as well as traveling trucks and seven vaccination centers already existing and depending on the city of Paris.
An announcement from the mayor that made the opposition react: “So far, you only ventured hypotheses and we cannot anticipate. It would be better us not being in emergency reaction like for screening marquees that had been set up in a rush” Paris 7th arrondissement mayor Rachida Dati explained. This anticipated action is likely to please everyone.