Paris – The Covid-19 epidemic was an opportunity to emphasize the importance of respecting a series of “gestures” intended to limit the circulation of the virus, alongside vaccination, and in particular the wearing of a mask, avoidance of certain situations or even isolation. To assess French people’s adherence to these recommendations, the French Public Health agency launched the CoviPrev survey.
This continues, now studying the observance of the French with regard to preventive measures not only for coronavirus infection but also for influenza and other winter viruses. What does the last wave of this survey, the 38th of the name, reveal, carried out from August 30 to September 9? How does this compare with the same period last year?
Co-administration
We first observe that 38% of people who participated in the survey declared themselves eligible for Covid-19 vaccination this fall and 59% of them intend to respond to this recommendation. The others give the same reasons as last year for avoiding it (besides Covid or a recent vaccine): they do not wish to repeat vaccination every year, do not want to do it because of adverse effects experienced or feared , are convinced that the vaccine(s) already received will be sufficient or, on the contrary, doubt their effectiveness.
On the flu side, it’s completely comparable: 52% of the people targeted have planned to protect themselves. Here we also find doubt about the effectiveness and fear of undesirable effects. It seems necessary, notes SpF, to remember that reactions to vaccines are mainly benign and short-lived and that the booster of the Covid-19 vaccine prevents serious forms in the most fragile: the benefit-risk is not called into question .
Positive side: one in two targeted people agrees to take both Covid and flu vaccines, at the same time for 32%. On the other hand, as in 2023, almost a quarter of subjects at risk of severe disease declared that they did not want to take either vaccine.
Who to tell?
As for what we call “barrier measures”, the survey shows that 7% of respondents say they never wash their hands, neither with soap nor with hydroalcoholic gel, while 15% do not see what is causing them. would encourage us to continue or increase compliance with preventive measures.
Once again this year, the protection of others does not concern the 43% who say they never wear a mask in the event of symptoms in the presence of vulnerable people or in busy places.
Those over 65 seem more concerned about respecting prevention rules than those under 65 at risk. Among the respondents neglecting hygiene and barrier gestures, we find mainly those who do not declare themselves at risk of severe form, men, inactive people, rural residents, people also resistant to vaccination.
Finally, if the fear of adverse effects seems comparable for the two vaccinations, the Covid epidemic is still more feared than that of flu or those linked to other winter viruses since it would encourage more barrier gestures. Wrong? The epidemic future will tell us.
