“Who should be vaccinated and how”? This is the question that the Covid-19 Vaccine Committee and the Scientific Committee of France have been debating since the race for an antiviral treatment began in July.

While the preliminary research results are encouraging, experts in France are wondering about the strategy to be adopted to launch a vaccination campaign.

While the WHO hopes to end the pandemic in less than two years, the race for the Covid-19 vaccine has begun. But if we find a vaccine against the virus, will it be mandatory?

In Australia, the United States and France, vaccination strategies differ.

On Wednesday, August 19, the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrisson said that such treatment should be made compulsory, “as far as we can make it compulsory”.

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In the United States, this is ruled out, as stated on RTL radio, which reports the words of Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and adviser to the White House: “I don’t think you will ever see mandating of a vaccine, particularly for the general public. If someone refuses the vaccine in the general public you cannot force someone to take it,” he said.

“You can mandate for certain groups of people like health workers,” he added.

What about France? If a vaccine is available, it should not be mandatory, according to an advice dated July 9 by the CARE Group, the Covid-19 Vaccine Committee and the Scientific Council. In this report, the experts believe that “compulsory vaccination is neither desirable nor conceivable”.

“Reluctance of the French people to be vaccinated”

Given the “reluctance of the French people to be vaccinated”, the team of experts fears failure of the vaccination campaign. If citizens do not feel concerned and adequately informed, the same as what happened in 2009-2010 against the flu will occur.

Hence the need to set up a vaccination strategy and limit the spread of the epidemic as much as possible. A joint multidisciplinary group made up of members of several expert committees was therefore set up to reflect on vaccination policy and find a balance.

Part of the recommendation is that priority population for vaccination should be identified. Such as the elderly or health care workers.

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On July 27, the Scientific Council stated in another note that this group will only issue preliminary reflections. They will have to be taken forward by the High Authority for Health and the High Council for Public Health.

This kind of preparation work will take time. “It is critical to allow sufficient time for a careful review” of both the effectiveness and safety of potential vaccines before we use them on a large scale.

On Tuesday, August 25, the death toll of the new coronavirus pandemic exceeded 809,000 worldwide. With many countries globally facing an outbreak of fresh cases and increasing restrictions.