Their return to the care centers had been the subject of heated battles between the government and the left and far right oppositions. The Academy of Medicine expressed on Tuesday July 19 its “strong opposition” to a reintegration of caregivers not vaccinated against Covid, judging that a “turnaround” would harm the ” trust feeling “ between caregivers and with patients, without resolving the difficulties of the hospital.
“The opportunity to reinstate caregivers suspended for non-vaccination (against Covid-19) having been mentioned during the debates in the National Assembly”the Academy of Medicine wanted to make a point. “Any refusal to be vaccinated motivated by personal convictions is respectable, but incompatible with the profession of caregiver”she pleads in a press release.
“No argument” against vaccination
She also points out that “the decline in the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing infection and contagion by new variants of SARS-CoV-2 cannot justify the reintegration of the unvaccinated: current vaccines retain residual effectiveness against transmission, which must be supplemented by strictly respecting barrier gestures in healthcare settings”.
“None of the rehashed arguments (lack of efficacy, adverse effects, lack of hindsight, etc.) can scientifically validate the refusal to be vaccinated, the real medical contraindications to vaccination being very rare”continues the Academy of Medicine.
Finally, “vaccination remains very effective against the different variants and sub-variants to protect against severe forms of Covid-19, it makes it possible to make exceptional the recognition of serious Covid-19 as an occupational disease in vaccinated caregivers”she insists.
Their reinstatement will not solve the hospital crisis
Another argument put forward by the Academy of Medicine: “The reintegration of unvaccinated healthcare professionals into the healthcare team would compromise the climate of trust and cohesion that must exist between its members and with the patients. » In addition, “it would endanger the fragile patients”she adds.
Otherwise, “concerning only a very limited number of caregivers, it would not solve the current difficulties of operation of the hospital”. The Academy therefore expresses “his firm opposition to a reversal” which would aim at the return of 0.3% of suspended hospital professionals, caregivers and non-caregivers, according to a figure from the French Hospital Federation.
However, the government seems to have changed slightly thanks to the debate on its so-called monitoring and health security bill. After asserting to the National Assembly that the subject was still not “not up to date”the Minister of Health François Braun announced last week in the Senate the referral of several authorities on this “thorny subject”.
“The High Authority for Health and the scientific council will give us their opinion in the coming days”he had declared, assuring that he wanted to continue to “manage this crisis based on the recommendations of scientists”.