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Illustration of Russian vaccine candidate Sputnik V. – RDIF / Cover-Images.com / SIPA
- How to ensure sufficient vaccination coverage against Covid-19? The question of compulsory vaccination is raised in several countries.
- However, the Spanish, Italian, German and Belgian governments have expressed their opposition to this measure.
- In France the situation is clear: “I will not make vaccination compulsory,” Emmanuel Macron announced during his televised speech on Tuesday.
While several candidate vaccines suggest the possibility of vaccination against Covid-19 in the coming months, European governments are faced with a question: how to ensure the distribution of these vaccines and sufficient population coverage?
Some voices have been raised, especially in Italy, to request mandatory vaccination against the coronavirus. 20 minutes gives you a tour in Europe of our European neighbors’ current positions on this issue – these policies are likely to change depending on the health situation.
In France, Emmanuel Macron opposed mandatory vaccination
“I will not make vaccination mandatory,” Emmanuel Macron announced in his televised speech Tuesday. In France, the High Authority for Health, in fact, believes that “in the current context, vaccination against Covid-19 should not be mandatory, neither for the general population, nor for health workers”. He believes that this obligation would not be justified to date due to “a poorly known vaccine dose schedule and – at this stage – the lack of perspective on future vaccines, as well as their ability to limit virus infection”.
Several European heads of government have also ruled out mandatory vaccination against the new coronavirus. “Let me be clear, there will be no mandatory vaccination,” Boris Johnson said at a press conference on Monday. In Scotland, the Secretary of State for Health is on the same line as the British Prime Minister. “We do not intend to make the vaccine mandatory,” Jeane Freeman told the BBC.
Italians divided on this issue
Giuseppe Conte, head of the Italian government, also rejects this possibility. Several Italian politicians have come out in favor of this option, one senator going so far as to offer a passport associated with vaccination to access certain places, according toThe newspaper.
The opinion of Italy appears divided on the advisability of vaccination. According to a survey conducted in June by EngageMinds Hub and the Catholic University of Milan, 41% of Italians surveyed said it was rather unlikely that they were vaccinated.
In Spain, Galicia is considering a mandatory nature
Among our Spanish neighbors, the Minister of Health also ruled out the hypothesis of compulsory vaccination for the entire population. Salvador Illa said that “probably half of the population” will be vaccinated. The vaccination campaign is expected to start in January in Spain, Pedro Sanchez, the head of the government, explained Sunday.
However, there may be regional differences. Galicia intends to amend a law to impose a fine of up to 3,000 euros for people who refuse vaccination.
Shout in Denmark
In Belgium, this is not compulsory vaccination, according to the Minister of Health. The goal is to vaccinate 70% of the population for free.
In Germany, Federal Minister Jens Spahn has promised that there will be no compulsory vaccination. However, a law raises concerns that “threatened population groups” cannot be compulsorily vaccinated. A fear rejected by the German ethics committee, the Leopoldina Academy of Sciences and the standing committee for vaccinations, which refuse mandatory vaccination, reports the ZDF channel.
Denmark stands out. According to a bill, the Danish health authorities could define groups that would be forced to get vaccinated. The Danish Medical Association has already made known its opposition to this text. Faced with the protests, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen indicated that the text would be rethought.
And the priority populations?
Which populations will these countries choose to vaccinate first? Not all of them have yet revealed their comprehensive strategies, but health workers and vulnerable people appear to be populations that could be vaccinated as a priority.
The European Commission, for its part, announced that it had signed a contract with the American company Moderna on Tuesday to provide up to 160 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
The Commission had already signed five contracts to pre-order vaccines: with the Swedish-British AstraZeneca and the American Johnson & Johnson (up to 400 million doses each), the Franco-British duo Sanofi-GSK (up to 300 million doses) , the American-German duo Pfizer-BioNTech (up to 300 million doses) and finally with the German CureVac (up to 405 million doses).
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