Overloaded emergency rooms, blank plans decreed in several hospitals in the region: the flu epidemic is hitting Center-Val de Loire. However, faced with the increase in the number of patients, vaccine doses in pharmacies are running out.
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Orléans, Vierzon, Dreux… More and more hospitals in the region are declaring the white plan. The cause? A massive influx of patients due to the flu epidemic raging throughout the country and forcing healthcare establishments to adapt. As the demand for vaccination increases, doses in pharmacies are becoming increasingly rare.
READ. Flu: White Plans still maintained in hospitals, 13 days after their implementation, but the situation is improving
-Sébastien Michel, co-president of the Eure-et-Loir pharmacists’ union, is categorical: if certain pharmacies still have doses in stock, “the situation is more than tense in the region”. For him, what explains in particular this shortage which occurs at a key moment of the epidemic lies in a prevention campaign which was late. “Calls for vaccination and communication around vaccination were late. While the campaign normally begins at the end of October, or even the beginning of November, we have noticed relatively little mobilization of public authorities”he assures.
But the problem cannot be reduced to that. “We notice that the population is fed up with vaccination in general”continues the health professional. The few people vaccinated contributed to accelerating the spread of the virus. Which poses a logistical problem. In fact, pharmacies order a number of vaccine doses based on data from previous years. However, it is complicated for practitioners to anticipate that this year’s epidemic would be more severe than previous ones.
Ultimately, these vaccine doses represent a significant portion of the pharmacy budget. Sébastien Michel estimates it at around €20,000 for his pharmacy, which explains why he only has a limited stock of vaccines: “We usually don’t order too large quantities, because in the event of unsold items, the laboratories only take back 10 to 20% of the total cost.”
Negotiations between the State and pharmaceutical laboratories should allow resupply as quickly as possible.
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