PARIS (AP) – Lyon’s main French stadium opened as a mass vaccination center over the Easter weekend and thousands spent their holidays preparing for injections at racecourses, velodromes or other sites as France tried to speed up fires in the middle of a new rush of coronavirus cases.
But as Europe celebrated its second Easter in a row under the pandemic cloud, some cities have suspended vaccinations over the long holiday weekend – defying French President Emmanuel Macron’s insistence that “there are no weekends or days off during vaccination”.
Medical workers need “a little rest in the end,” said an official in the French city of Strasbourg, which closed vaccination facilities on Good Friday until Easter Monday. To ensure that residents continued to have access to life-saving vaccines, Strasbourg extended vaccination hours and administered the full number of weekly doses between Monday and Thursday, the official said.
Spain, Italy and Germany faced a similar vaccination challenge.
The Spaniards lined up for Easter Sunday shootings in Barcelona and elsewhere in the country, but Madrid stopped vaccinations at local health centers to give staff a break. The Spanish capital continued to set fire to a football stadium and a new hospital built to help deal with pandemics.
Spain fears another wave of infections such as the overwhelming one in French intensive care unitsThe Spanish Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, asked the regional authorities to continue vaccinations throughout Easter Week.
The French town of Sarcelles, north of Paris, was one of those whose vaccination center remained open on Easter Sunday amid fungal infections and demand. The center’s organizers plan to inject 2,000 doses on Sunday – twice the daily average.
Those waiting to enter felt lucky and relieved. The surrounding Val d’Oise region now has the highest rate of coronavirus infection in France, and the situation in Sarcelles symbolizes how the pandemic has worsened existing inequalities.
“The problem is with people who are not yet qualified and in a hurry, which I understand they want to return to a normal life,” said Dr. Majida El Mokhtari. “Unfortunately, we are not able to vaccinate everyone with the doses that are distributed to us.”
The working class residents of the city have a higher exposure to the virus, because many cannot work remotely. In housing projects in the area, many families have multiple generations living in nearby areas. Language barriers make the choice of vaccination arrangements a challenge for many immigrants.
In Lyon, the French first division football club Olympique Lyon opened its stadium and offered volunteer staff to help medical workers and firefighters with a mass vaccination action that began on Saturday. Authorities plan to administer 3,000 doses per day for the first three days.
The president of the club, Jean Michel Aulas, expressed the hope that the effort will contribute to the creation of “social cohesion” in a time of tension and uncertainty, as France has entered a third partial blockade. starting Sunday.
Meanwhile, the French army has announced that it will open seven vaccination centers starting Tuesday to help inject civilians.
In Italy, those lucky enough to receive a vaccine in Milan on Sunday received an additional reward: a pigeon-shaped Easter cake and packets of pasta. Only one hospital in the city administered Easter vaccines, according to the Italian press. Among those administering the injections at Niguarda Hospital in Milan were retired doctors from the hospital who gave their time.
“We are only contributing to this important battle” against COVID-19, Dr. Vincenzo Rapisarda told SkyTG24 TV.
German vaccination centers seemed to remain open during the holidays, but the number of injections is usually slower on weekends.
The accelerated Easter action in some European Union countries was in contrast to the slow start of vaccine launches in Europe at Christmas and New Year.
While France lags far behind Britain and the United States in vaccinating its population, the pace is starting to pick up. France has administered a total of 12 million doses of vaccine, including almost 1 million in the last three days.
Spanish authorities are accelerating vaccination efforts with the arrival of 2 million doses in the last week, most of it so far. Spain had administered 8.5 million doses since Friday.
Along the Channel, the UK authorities planned to test a number of measures, including “coronavirus status certifications” in the coming weeks, to see if they could allow people to return safely to mass gatherings at sports arenas, nightclubs and concerts.
People attending a number of events, including conferences and the FA Cup, will need to be tested both before and after. The studies will also gather evidence on how ventilation and different approaches to social distancing could allow major events to continue.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to present more details about coronavirus passports on Monday.
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Cetinic contributed from Sarcelles, France. Joseph Wilson in Barcelona, Frances D’Emilio in Rome, Sylvia Hui in London and David McHugh in Frankfurt contributed.
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