Advertisement

Stade de France becomes giant vaccine centre with space for 10,000 injections a week

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
Stade de France becomes giant vaccine centre with space for 10,000 injections a week
People arrive to be vaccinated against Covid-19 at a vaccination centre set up at the Stade de France (France's Stadium), in Saint-Denis, outside Paris on April 6, 2021 - New restrictions have been implemented in France, including a brief closure of schools, to keep Covid-19 cases down before the effects of the vaccine drive kick in. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / POOL / AFP)

France on Tuesday converted its biggest stadium, the Stade de France, into a giant vaccination centre as the government scrambles to keep its promise of a giant leap forward in administering Covid-19 jabs.

Advertisement

Built for the 1998 football World Cup, the stadium on the northern outskirts of Paris has a seating capacity of over 80,000 and is usually reserved for top sports events such as international football and rugby matches or major pop concerts.

But from early on Tuesday morning people were queueing to get an injection in the latest, and biggest, of France's stadiums to be converted for coronavirus inoculations, which have been dubbed "vaccinodromes".

In March, the southern city of Marseille opened its velodrome for vaccinations, and Lyon followed suit last week, making available its Groupama Stadium which reported 10,000 vaccinations over the Easter weekend alone.

Advertisement

Staff prepare at the Stade de France vaccine centre. Photo by Thomas SAMSON / POOL / AFP

The Stade de France, in stark contrast to the showy events that usually take place there, is located in the nation's poorest area. The départment of Saine-Saint-Denis has been very hard hit by Covid, recording 800 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants - more than double the national incidence rate.

In the short term, health authorities are aiming for 10,000 jabs per week in the stadium.

France is experiencing a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, with intensive care admissions rising past the worst levels seen in the second wave in November 2020.

In response, the government has extended regional measures, including a nightly curfew and travel restrictions, to the entire country, and shut schools for three weeks.

President Emmanuel Macron has promised a sharp acceleration of the vaccination drive, aiming for a total of 20 million inoculations by mid-May for the nation of 67 million, and 30 million by mid-June.

After much criticism over the slow start to France's vaccine rollout, the programme has recently increased speed.

Advertisement

People arrive to be vaccinated against Covid-19 at a vaccination centre set up at the Stade de France in Paris' northern suburbs. Photo by Thomas SAMSON / POOL / AFP

More than a million new vaccinations were reported over the weekend, taking the total to have received at least one dose of the two-course treatment to 9.3 million.

The government hopes to take delivery of 12 million new vaccine doses in April.

The over 5,400 Covid patients in intensive care is still well short of the 7,000 recorded in April 2020 just after the start of the pandemic, but Health Minister Olivier Véran said on Monday that "it's possible that we're getting closer" to the first-wave peak.

After cancelling or delaying non-Covid surgery appointments, France now has a total capacity of 8,000 intensive care beds available for coronavirus cases, he said.

The health ministry said it expected infection numbers to peak over the coming week, but that another increase was likely when primary school pupils return after a Easter break at the end of the month.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

Anonymous 2021/04/12 03:40
123

See Also