EXPLAINED: How to book an appointment for the Covid-19 vaccine in France
As France opens up its Covid-19 vaccination programme to all adults, here is how to go about booking your appointment.
From Monday, May 31st, France opens up its vaccine programme to all adults, but booking is now open to everyone, so that those not in priority groups can find a reservation from Monday onward.
There are several booking methods;
- Online
- Medical apps (Doctolib, Maiia and KelDoc)
- By phone
- Via GPs or family doctors
- Pharmacies
- Via apps that search all the different platforms and list the free appointments nearest to you
Online
The government's website Sante.fr is now taking appointments.
Photo: French government
When signing up, users will have to enter the name of their town or city, to get a list with the vaccination centres closest to them.
Medical apps
The medical apps Doctolib, Maiia and KelDoc are all available for vaccine appointments.
Doctolib is already widely used to book other types of appointment including regular doctors' appointments and Covid tests.
It is available on both both iPhones and android. Once you have downloaded the app you will need to register with your details plus an email address and phone number.
You can then click on the vaccination section and make an appointment. You will be offered a list of vaccination centres which can also be viewed on a map to find the closest with available appointments.
By phone
The number to call is 0800 009 110.
Before May 31st
To book an appointment for before May 31st, you will need to be either;
- Over the age of 50
- A healthcare or emergency worker or home helps working with vulnerable groups. This vaccination is arranged through the employer
- A close family member or co-habitee of a person with a compromised immune system
- With co-morbities including diabetes, hypertension or a BMI above 30. Find the full list HERE. If you fall into this group there is no need to get a prescription from your doctor, a simple declaration that you have one of the listed illnesses is sufficient.
- Able to find an unfilled appointment slot within the next 24 hours
After May 31st
If you see a free appointment for after May 31st you can book it, regardless of your age (as long as you are over 18), occupation or state of health.
Struggling to find an appointment slot?
Despite reports of 'vaccine hesitancy' in France, the biggest problem for most people has always been getting an appointment. Although the number of appointments has been greatly increased, many people still report struggling to find an appointment near them.
The website Vite Ma Dose ! (Quickly My Dose!) is set up to help people find an appointment slot near them - find out more here - while people who are not yet in eligible groups can sign up via the website Covid Liste for alerts on unfilled appointments or spare doses near them.
For people searching for last-minute appointments there is Chronodoses, an offshoot of Vite Ma Dose ! - here is how that works.
READ ALSO What to expect at your Covid vaccine appointment
At the appointment
Before getting the injection, medical workers will ask everyone to fill out a health questionnaire and a consent form.
Explaining the process, Health Minister Olivier Véran said: "A doctor, or any other carer, will ask you a few questions and you will asked to fill out a very simple self-questionnaire, which will just aim to verify that you can be vaccinated in the usual fashion."
READ ALSO What to expect at your vaccine appointment
You will be asked about health conditions, allergies and, for women, whether you are pregnant.
You will also be asked if you have tested positive for Covid in the last three months. People cannot be vaccinated until three months after their recovery, but then will only need one dose of the vaccine.
A doctor, nurse, pharmacist, midwife, firefighter or paramedic will then give the injection.
After the vaccine, everyone will be asked to stay for 15 minutes, in case of any side effects, before going home.
The second dose of the vaccination will be given six weeks after the first if you had Pfizer or Moderna or 12 weeks after the first for AstraZeneca and you make the second appointment immediately after getting the first dose. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine does not require a second dose.
Any side effects should be reported to [email protected] or to your own doctor.
You will need to take a piece of ID with you to the appointment.
READ ALSO: The French vocab you need to get the Covid vaccine
How much?
The vaccine is free to everyone.
Carte vitale
People who live in France but have not yet fully registered in the French health system and received their carte vitale can still be vaccinated.
"Seeing as this is a public health issue, unregistered people as well as those in a very precarious situation can get vaccinated for free," the health ministry told The Local, referring to a government decree published on December 31st.
Several readers have reported to us that when they turned up to vaccine centres or pharmacies without a carte vitale it caused a certain amount of confusion among staff, who were unsure whether they were eligible.
We suggest that people who do not yet have the card take with them proof of their residency in France and if necessary point staff to the decree linked to above.
Which vaccines
There are four vaccines currently licensed for use in France - Pfizer and Moderna which are licensed for all age groups and AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson which are licensed for over 55s only.
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See Also
- Online
- Medical apps (Doctolib, Maiia and KelDoc)
- By phone
- Via GPs or family doctors
- Pharmacies
- Via apps that search all the different platforms and list the free appointments nearest to you
Online
The government's website Sante.fr is now taking appointments.
Photo: French government
When signing up, users will have to enter the name of their town or city, to get a list with the vaccination centres closest to them.
Medical apps
The medical apps Doctolib, Maiia and KelDoc are all available for vaccine appointments.
Doctolib is already widely used to book other types of appointment including regular doctors' appointments and Covid tests.
It is available on both both iPhones and android. Once you have downloaded the app you will need to register with your details plus an email address and phone number.
You can then click on the vaccination section and make an appointment. You will be offered a list of vaccination centres which can also be viewed on a map to find the closest with available appointments.
By phone
The number to call is 0800 009 110.
Before May 31st
To book an appointment for before May 31st, you will need to be either;
- Over the age of 50
- A healthcare or emergency worker or home helps working with vulnerable groups. This vaccination is arranged through the employer
- A close family member or co-habitee of a person with a compromised immune system
- With co-morbities including diabetes, hypertension or a BMI above 30. Find the full list HERE. If you fall into this group there is no need to get a prescription from your doctor, a simple declaration that you have one of the listed illnesses is sufficient.
- Able to find an unfilled appointment slot within the next 24 hours
After May 31st
If you see a free appointment for after May 31st you can book it, regardless of your age (as long as you are over 18), occupation or state of health.
Struggling to find an appointment slot?
Despite reports of 'vaccine hesitancy' in France, the biggest problem for most people has always been getting an appointment. Although the number of appointments has been greatly increased, many people still report struggling to find an appointment near them.
The website Vite Ma Dose ! (Quickly My Dose!) is set up to help people find an appointment slot near them - find out more here - while people who are not yet in eligible groups can sign up via the website Covid Liste for alerts on unfilled appointments or spare doses near them.
For people searching for last-minute appointments there is Chronodoses, an offshoot of Vite Ma Dose ! - here is how that works.
READ ALSO What to expect at your Covid vaccine appointment
At the appointment
Before getting the injection, medical workers will ask everyone to fill out a health questionnaire and a consent form.
Explaining the process, Health Minister Olivier Véran said: "A doctor, or any other carer, will ask you a few questions and you will asked to fill out a very simple self-questionnaire, which will just aim to verify that you can be vaccinated in the usual fashion."
READ ALSO What to expect at your vaccine appointment
You will be asked about health conditions, allergies and, for women, whether you are pregnant.
You will also be asked if you have tested positive for Covid in the last three months. People cannot be vaccinated until three months after their recovery, but then will only need one dose of the vaccine.
A doctor, nurse, pharmacist, midwife, firefighter or paramedic will then give the injection.
After the vaccine, everyone will be asked to stay for 15 minutes, in case of any side effects, before going home.
The second dose of the vaccination will be given six weeks after the first if you had Pfizer or Moderna or 12 weeks after the first for AstraZeneca and you make the second appointment immediately after getting the first dose. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine does not require a second dose.
Any side effects should be reported to [email protected] or to your own doctor.
You will need to take a piece of ID with you to the appointment.
READ ALSO: The French vocab you need to get the Covid vaccine
How much?
The vaccine is free to everyone.
Carte vitale
People who live in France but have not yet fully registered in the French health system and received their carte vitale can still be vaccinated.
"Seeing as this is a public health issue, unregistered people as well as those in a very precarious situation can get vaccinated for free," the health ministry told The Local, referring to a government decree published on December 31st.
Several readers have reported to us that when they turned up to vaccine centres or pharmacies without a carte vitale it caused a certain amount of confusion among staff, who were unsure whether they were eligible.
We suggest that people who do not yet have the card take with them proof of their residency in France and if necessary point staff to the decree linked to above.
Which vaccines
There are four vaccines currently licensed for use in France - Pfizer and Moderna which are licensed for all age groups and AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson which are licensed for over 55s only.
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