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CoronaVirus – The device was announced a few days ago, and now it is active. Since Tuesday, October 26, a toll-free number – 0800730957 – can be reached by isolated people over 80 (or by caregivers, or even relatives) wishing to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

It is accessible from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and aims to make vaccination accessible to the most vulnerable, by giving them the possibility to inject the serum at home if they request it. And that’s as winter approaches, without having to go online or embark on the complicated journey to get to the vaccination site or the doctor’s office.

At the level of regional health agencies (ARS) the continuity of the system “Let’s vaccinate our elderly” will be deployed: in each department, mobile teams will be formed, able to go to the homes of people over 80 years of age who will order vaccination.

France is lagging behind in Europe

These caregivers will be placed under the same legal status and will receive the same remuneration as those who work in vaccination centers, and in this context, pharmacists will be able to participate in the system.

Currently, about 85% of French people over the age of 80 have been vaccinated (about 87% have received at least one dose), which is – though Elderly It is the category of the population most threatened by the virus – a lower coverage rate than the rest of the population, except for people aged 12-17 for whom vaccination began much later. This represents about 550,000 people who will be vaccinated (and even more than 2 million if we include people with co-morbidities).

At the European level, so is France Too far from some other countries In the European Union where almost all older people receive a full vaccination course, even below the continental average (currently 88%).

See also on HuffPost: Why did France order 50,000 doses of anti-Covid pills?