Nearly 3,000 non-vaccinated COVID-19 health workers in France have been fired after a law requiring them to be vaccinated came into force there yesterday. This was stated today by Health Minister Olivier Veranda, reports France-Presse.
These are people from medical and medical and social institutions who have not yet started the vaccination process, the Minister told Radio RTL and clarified that there were “several dozen layoffs.” He assured that the continuation of medical care is ensured.
According to the minister, for most of those who have been fired, the measure is temporary. Among those fired were mostly support staff and “very few white coats,” Veran said.
Mandatory vaccination of 2.7 million medical workers in hospitals and nursing homes, freelance nurses, firefighters and others came into force in France yesterday.
According to health insurance data on the Sante Publique France website, as of 12 September, 89.3 per cent of the country’s nursing home staff had received at least one dose of injection, compared with 73.9 per cent of the French population as a whole.
Residents who have not received at least one dose of the vaccine, who have no contraindications and have not been infected recently, “can no longer engage in their activities,” according to French law from August 5.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the coronavirus has claimed more than 115,000 lives in France.