Vets and dentists can give Covid-19 jabs, says French health body

Vets, dentists, certain medicine students, laboratory technicians and more should be allowed to carry out Covid-19 vaccinations, the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) has stated in an opinion published yesterday (March 25). 

“The increasing arrival of vaccine doses will make it possible to carry out vaccinations on a larger scale as of April and requires the mobilisation of more competent professionals in order to quickly vaccinate all the people concerned,” The HAS stated. 

The French government is aiming to inoculate 10 million people with a first dose of a vaccine by mid-April and all willing adults by the end of the summer. So far, 6,870,993 people have received a first dose of a vaccine, equivalent to 10.26% of the total population, and 2,549,521 people have received two doses.  

Will France have enough vaccines to meet its new targets?

The government still needs to officially adopt HAS’ latest recommendation but this is likely to happen as it was the Health Ministry that asked the HAS to issue the opinion. 

Currently in France, doctors, midwives, nurses and pharmacists are all authorised to carry out Covid vaccinations. 

The HAS states this should now be extended to dental surgeons, who would be able to administer the vaccination at their practice or at vaccination centres.

It should also be extended to the following, who will be authorised to give the vaccination only at designated centres:

• Pharmacists working in a pharmacy for internal use, in a medical biology analysis laboratory, pharmacists working for the fire and rescue services or pharmacists in the Marseille marine fire department
• Radiologists
• Veterinarians
• Students of medicine, pharmacology, nursing, dentistry (different levels of experience are required depending on what the student is studying)

The HAS states that this will allow 252,000 more professionals to participate in the vaccination campaign.

In the same recommendation report, the HAS suggested expanding who can prescribe the Covid-19 vaccination. 

Some people who are eligible for the vaccination through health reasons need to have a medical prescription to get vaccinated. Currently doctors, midwives and pharmacists are authorised to give prescriptions.

The HAS recommends expanding this to other more specific pharmacists (see full list in French here), dental surgeons and advanced practice nurses. 

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