PARIS (AP) – The French city of Lyon’s main stadium opened as a mass vaccination center over the Easter weekend, and thousands spent the holidays injecting at hippodromes, velodromes or other sites as France tried to speed up ammunition a new rush of coronavirus cases.
But when Europe celebrates its second Easter in a row under the cloud of the pandemic, some cities have stopped vaccinations over the long holiday weekend, postponing French President Emmanuel Macron’s insistence that “there are no weekends or days off during vaccinations.”
Medical workers finally need some rest ‘, said an official at the French city of Strasbourg, which closed the vaccination facilities from Good Friday to Easter Monday, a public holiday. To ensure residents still have access to potentially life-saving vaccines, Strasbourg has extended its vaccination hours and administered all of its weekly doses between last Monday and Thursday.
Spain, Italy and Germany faced a similar holiday vaccination challenge.
Spaniards went on strike in Barcelona and other points across the country on Easter Sunday, but Madrid stopped vaccinations at local health centers to give staff a break. The Spanish capital continued to fire at a football stadium and a new hospital built to deal with pandemic cases.
While Spain is afraid of another surge of infections such as the now French overhead intensive care units, Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darias has urged local authorities to continue vaccinations throughout Easter.
The French city of Sarcelles, north of Paris, was among those whose vaccination center remained open on Easter Sunday, amid infections and the demand for mushrooms. The organizers of the center planned to inject 2,000 doses on Sunday – twice their daily average.
Those waiting to go inside feel happy and relieved. The surrounding Val d’Oise region now has the highest coronavirus infection rate in France, and the situation in Sarcelles symbolizes how the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities.
“The problem is with people who do not yet qualify and who are in a hurry, which I understand because they want to return to a normal life,” said Dr. Majida El Mokhtari said. “Unfortunately, we cannot vaccinate the doses given to us.”
City-dwelling residents have higher exposure to the virus because many are unable to work remotely. In the housing projects in the area, many families of several generations live in a nearby area. Language barriers make it a challenge for many immigrants to arrange the vaccination.
In Lyon, the French first division football club Olympique Lyon opened its stadium and provided volunteers to help medical workers and firefighters with a mass vaccination that began on Saturday. Authorities plan to administer 3,000 doses per day during the first three days.
Club president Jean Michel Aulas expressed the hope that the effort would help create ‘social cohesion’ in a time of tension and uncertainty, as France entered a third partial exclusion Sunday begins.
Meanwhile, the French army has announced that it will open seven vaccination centers from Tuesday to help inject civilians.
In Italy, those lucky enough to get vaccinated in Milan on Sunday received an extra reward: an Easter cake in the shape of a dove and packets of pasta. Only one hospital in the city administered vaccines at Easter, according to Italian media. Among those who administered the injections at Niguarda Hospital in Milan were retired doctors who volunteered their time.
“We are only contributing to this important battle” against COVID-19, Dr Vincenzo Rapisarda told SkyTG24 TV.
German vaccination centers usually remain open during the holidays, but the number of injections is usually slower on weekends.
The accelerated Easter action in some countries of the European Union was in contrast to the slow start of the vaccination of Europe by Christmas and New Year.
While France lags far behind Britain and the United States in terms of vaccinating its population, the pace is beginning to pick up. France has administered a total of 12 million doses of vaccines over the past three days, including nearly 1 million.
Spanish authorities are accelerating vaccination efforts with the arrival of 2 million doses in the past week, the biggest fate yet. Spain administered 8.5 million doses as of Friday.
Across the Channel, British authorities planned to test a range of measures in the coming weeks, including coronavirus status certifications, to see if it would allow people to return safely to mass gatherings at sports arenas, nightclubs and concerts.
People attending a range of events, including conferences and football’s FA Cup, should be tested before and after. The trials will also gather evidence on how ventilation and different approaches to social distance can allow great opportunities to continue.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to provide more details on the 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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