"It's still crazy": Health Minister laments that only 20% of hospital caregivers are vaccinated

Minister of Health Yannick Neuder said on Thursday, July 31, that it was "crazy" that only 20% of hospital staff were vaccinated against the flu , urging health professionals in France to "set an example."

"In the land of Pasteur, in the land of the Enlightenment, it's still crazy that we've reached the point where only 20% of healthcare workers are vaccinated" against seasonal flu, he said on franceinfo. "I think we have a problem with vaccination and that there's a huge need for education."

"Pathologies are making a strong comeback," he stressed, citing as examples the recent measles epidemic in Morocco and the " more than 60 deaths" from meningitis recorded in France.

"So I think we have a public health message to get across, even more so when we are caregivers," he added.

The minister calls on "all healthcare professionals in France, whether they are in a public or private hospital, or in a medico-social establishment, to set an example and get vaccinated (...) because when you are a patient, it is rather reassuring to see that your healthcare professional has been vaccinated."

Regarding the flu vaccination of elderly people living in nursing homes, which Health Minister Catherine Vautrin wants to make mandatory, Yannick Neuder indicated that this was indeed one of "the subjects under discussion" while appearing to express certain reservations.

"The vaccination rate of nursing home patients is already high, around 85%, so I'm not sure there will necessarily be a huge gain," he said. "In any case, it's strongly recommended (...) we know very well that nursing home patients are often the oldest patients with significant comorbidities and, above all, community living. We know very well that this is where we accumulate all the risks."