How many vaccines in 2021? The government hopes to vaccinate 17 million French people by June, including seven million by the end of March, reveal The echoes December 18.

This figure of 17 million represents a quarter of the population and will primarily count the most vulnerable French people: the elderly in nursing homes and their caregivers, who will be vaccinated first, but also people over 50 and people who are suffering. a chronic disease at risk of severe form of covid.

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27 million with the AstraZeneca vaccine

According to The echoes, that 17 million figure could even climb to 27 million on one condition: that the AstraZeneca vaccine is delivered quickly. In this scenario, by the end of June, 40% of French people could have been vaccinated.

But for now, the AstraZeneca vaccine is not yet available and probably would not be before February 2021. The deadlines could even be pushed back due to an adverse effect discovered during clinical trials last September and the need to carry out a new study to refine the results of the vaccine.

Three vaccines, two techniques

Nearly half of the population vaccinated in the best case before the summer, therefore, but not with the same technique. The first vaccines available will indeed be the Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna vaccine, for which the European Medicines Agency (EMA) must deliver its opinion on December 21 and January 6 respectively.

These two vaccines are based on the innovative messenger RNA technique. As for the AstraZeneca vaccine, it is based on the better known technique of the vectorized vaccine.

Over 50 million doses ordered

For now, only the Pfizer vaccine has obtained marketing authorization and has started to be used in particular in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. In France, vaccination could begin on December 27, as in other member countries of the European Union.

The government has already ordered 23 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines which would allow eight million French people to be vaccinated in the first half of 2021, with two doses per person and a reserve of 30% loss. To these stocks will be added the 28 million doses already ordered from AstraZeneca.