Reader question: How can people who cannot be vaccinated use France's vaccine pass?

Question: I have a serious medical problem that means I cannot be vaccinated, does that mean I have to accept having a severely restricted lifestyle in France for the foreseeable future?

The French government has been clear since it introduced the health passport that one of the goals is to push people into getting the vaccine, by making life more complicated for the unvaccinated.

This will become stricter when France's health pass becomes a vaccine pass, with no option for the unvaccinated to get tested instead.

The general principle is that activities like working (with the exception of certain professions), commuting or visiting shops do not need a health or vaccine pass, but for anything fun like getting dinner and drinks with friends, going to the theatre or cinema or getting a train to another part of France, the pass is required. 

But what about those who might want to be vaccinated but cannot for medical reasons?

The Decree that enshrined the health passport into law back in the summer does contain provision for those who cannot be vaccinated.

It is possible to obtain a certificate from your doctor declaring your status as unvaccinated for medical reasons - but only if you fit one of the conditions outlined in the decree.

The conditions outlined by the decree to qualify for this are;

• A documented history of allergy to one of the components of the vaccines
• Anaphylaxis of at least grade 2 after the first dose injection
• A documented history of capillary leakage problems
• History of pediatric multi-systemic inflammatory syndrome after suffering from Covid
• A recommendation following a multi-disciplinary medical consultation not to administer a second dose following a severe reaction to the first dose eg myocarditis, Guillan-Barré syndrome

There are also some conditions that have a temporary medical contra-indication

• Treatment with anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies
• Myocarditis or pericarditis that occurred prior to vaccination and is still evolving

For people with severely compromised immune systems, such as cancer patients, the general advice is to get vaccinated, and many have been given an extra dose of the vaccine - in addition to the booster - to ensure adequate protection.

Pregnant women are advised to get the vaccination since there is increasing evidence that pregnant women are more likely to develop the most severe forms of the virus - pregnant cabinet minister Olivia Gregoire was  vaccinated live on TV by her colleague Olivier Véran in order to highlight the need for mothers-to-be to get vaccinated.

This article is not intended as a substitute for medical advice - if you are in any doubt about whether you should get vaccinated, or have concerns about side effects, you should of course consult your doctor.