In March, the European Union enjoyed an exceptional four million extra doses of vaccine delivery supplied by Pfizer. France received 600,000 doses of vaccine, as explained by French State Secretary for European Affairs Clément Beaune on Twitter. The delivery boosted the vaccination campaigns.
This vaccination campaign is about to know a serious slow in May. As a matter of fact, Pfizer has just announced that France will get two million fewer vaccine doses than expected. The American laboratory was expected to deliver 10.6 million doses to the French government in May, but will only deliver 8.6 million.
According to news shared by Les Echos, Pfizer laboratory does not fully recant from their committments: to overcome the lack of doses received in May, France should get two million extra doses in June. In concrete words, it only involves a one-month shift on the delivery schedule.
Yet, as mild as this shift is, it could have consequences on France's health situation.
The government's goal is to reach 20 million people vaccinated in May 2021. The arrival of 500,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses by late April should widely help reach the goal, all the more so as it only requires one shot.
Yet, if France happens not to get all Pfizer doses ordered for May, it could be really difficult to reach the 20 million people vaccinated. Patients' extreme distrust towards Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca's new name) leads them to refuse the vaccine. In these conditions, the population's herd immunity would be hard to reach. It is also likely that restrictions be made for longer and stricter in May if the citizens cannot get vaccinated against Covid-19.
