French ramp up vaccinations amid spike in cases
THOUSANDS spent the Easter holiday lining up for injections at hippodromes, velodromes and other sites as France tried to speed up vaccinations amid a new rush of coronavirus cases.
But as Europe celebrated its second Easter in a row under the cloud of the pandemic, some cities put vaccinations on hold during the long holiday weekend — defying French President Emmanuel Macron’s insistence that “there are no weekends or days off during vaccination”.
Medical workers need “a little rest at last,” said an official with the French city of Strasbourg, which shut down vaccination facilities from Good Friday until Easter Monday, a public holiday.
To ensure that residents still had access to potentially life-saving vaccines, Strasbourg expanded vaccination hours and administered all of its weekly supply of doses between last Monday and Thursday, the official said.
Spain, Italy and Germany faced a similar holiday vaccination challenge.
Spaniards lined up for shots on Easter Sunday in Barcelona and other points around the country, but Madrid halted vaccinations at health centres to give staff a break. The Spanish capital continued to give shots at a stadium and a new hospital built to help handle pandemic cases.
With Spain fearing yet another surge of infections like the one now overwhelming French intensive care wards, Spanish health minister Carolina Darias had urged regional authorities to keep up vaccinations throughout Easter week.
The French city of Sarcelles, north of Paris, was among those whose vaccination centre stayed open on Easter Sunday, amid mushrooming cases and demand. The centre’s organisers planned to inject 2,000 doses on Sunday — twice their daily average.
Those waiting to get inside felt lucky and relieved. The surrounding Val d’oise region now has the highest coronavirus infection rate in France, and the situation in Sarcelles symbolises how the pandemic has worsened existing inequalities.
Meanwhile, the French military announced that it would open seven vaccination centres starting on Tuesday to help inject civilians.
In Italy, those fortunate to get a vaccine in Milan on Sunday received an Easter cake in the shape of a dove and packages of pasta. Only one hospital in the city administered vaccines on Easter, according to Italian media.