Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

HEALTH

Latest: How to get a Covid-19 booster dose appointment in France

The French government has said that you now only need to wait three months since your last injection before becoming eligible for a booster shot. With demand for appointments surging, read our guide on how to get your dose.

Published: 6 December 2021 11:08 CET
Updated: 28 December 2021 08:26 CET
Vials of Pfizer vaccine in a French hospital. Demand for vaccines has been soaring in France. Read our guide on how to get an appointment ASAP.
Demand for vaccines has been soaring in France. Read our guide on how to get an appointment ASAP. (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP)

As part of the ongoing fight against Covid-19, the French government has said that you now only need to wait three months since your previous dose before getting a booster shot. This waiting time was previously set at four months. 

From January 15th, health passes for those over the age of 18 begin to be deactivated and made invalid if they have not received a Covid booster shot within seven months of their second dose of the vaccine. This rule already applies to people over the age of 65. 

There is a handy online tool to allow you to know when you need a booster dose HERE. If you use the TousAntiCovid app, the home-screen will change colour as you are approaching the date when you must get another shot. 

READ ALSO France sets 7 month limit on Covid health pass and opens up booster jabs to all

The government also plans to implement a vaccine pass, to replace the health pass, from mid-January. This would mean that negative Covid test results would not longer be able to be used as a replacement for a full course of vaccination as a means to enter various public venues. 

These new rules mean that there has been a surge in demand for vaccine appointments. Some people have reported lengthy waiting times and lamented the lack of availability of appointments near them.  

But there are some things you can do to speed up the process: 

Walk-in booster shots for the over 65s

On Monday 6th December Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that over 65s would be able to simply walk into vaccination centres without an appointment, to receive on-the-spot vaccination. But, again, anecdotal reports from over-65s trying to get their booster before their health pass becomes invalid around the country suggest that the reality on the ground is very different.

Officially, unvaccinated people can also receive their first shot without making an appointment. 

Moderna booster

Some over-30s attending some vaccine centres in France are being offered the unwanted Moderna vaccine, even if they have requested a dose of Pfizer on booking their appointment. Reports again suggest that some people are rejecting this option, prefering the Pfizer dose which is by far the most commonly injected vaccine against Covid-19 in France. 

The regular route

When it comes to actually booking appointments, the process is the same as it has always been.

You can book a vaccine appointment either a vaccine centre (although some of the larger ones have closed since the summer), your GP/family doctor or a pharmacy. You can book appointments for GPs and pharmacies in person or by phone, or you can book online for appointments at all three venue types.

READ MORE Who is now eligible for a Covid vaccine booster in France?

You can also book via Doctolib – France’s most used booking app/website. It is important to check Doctolib regularly and under the availabilities section of the search tool, to tick dans les trois prochains jours (‘in the next three days’).

It’s worth checking doctolib regularly because new appointment slots are made available frequently.

All of these options are relatively straightforward but don’t get around the problem of soaring demand. 

ViteMaDose 

ViteMaDose is an app and website that allows you to search for the next available vaccine appointments based on your postcode, commune or département. 

It works by aggregating data from from most of the vaccine sites in France as well as online booking platforms, such as Doctolib. 

Once you have identified the next available slot in your area using the search bar, you must then book an appointment via the ‘regular route’ described above. 

Covidliste 

Covidliste is another app and website that sends you an alert when a vaccine appointment becomes available near you. It already has more than one million users. 

When a vaccine administrator finds that they have doses available, they contact Covidliste. The organisation then sends out an email to all of its subscribers (subscription is free) to let them know. By the end of the day, if doses are still available, the site will then send out a further alert via SMS. 

READ MORE Can you get a Covid vaccine booster without a French carte vitale?

The advantage of this site is that it allows you to directly accept an appointment via the booking link sent out to you by email/SMS. 

The analogue method 

It doesn’t hurt to ask you local pharmacist, either by phone or in-person, about when the next vaccine appointment is available in your area. 

Not all pharmacists and other vaccine administrators are hooked up to the booking websites, meaning that there may be doses waiting for you that are simply not listed online. The only way to know whether this is the case is by calling your pharmacy directly. 

Will boosters be effective against the new Omicron variant?

The French government insists that while booster shots do not entirely prevent infection from the Omicron variant, they do help to avoid people falling seriously ill following transmission.

“Vaccination remains at the heart of our strategy,” said Jean Castex on Monday.  “It prevents serious forms of Covid-19.”

According to the early laboratory research using blood serum from vaccinated people, a booster third dose generated around the same level of antibodies against Omicron as is seen after a second dose with other variants.

 

Member comments

  1. Our local pharmacy told us we couldn’t get an appointment until February. So (FYI), I asked the local Infirmieres and they have arranged an appointment in our local medical centre before Christmas – we live in the countryside

  2. so to update the health pass with the booster shot that I received two weeks ago, when I get to Paris do I just go to a pharmacy? and show them my updated CDC card? I already have the French health pass. thanks you

  3. Had the Pfizer booster, because Janssen does not do one, on Tuesday, since Wednesday not stopped pissing and shitting. No problem with the first vaccination, so thanks Castex👿

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

HEALTH

Reader question: Do you have to pay if you call an ambulance in France?

In a medical emergency, the expense of calling an ambulance to transport you or a loved one to hospital should be the least of your concerns. Here’s what you need to know about the financials of falling ill in France.

Published: 7 February 2024 16:54 CET
Reader question: Do you have to pay if you call an ambulance in France?

In France, urgent emergency care is run centrally by the Service d’Aide Médicale Urgente, known to almost everyone as Le SAMU (pronounced sam-oo), which is a coordinated service to call in case of any serious medical emergency.  

Samu

You can call SAMU by dialling 15 – you should only do so in serious medical emergencies, such as loss of consciousness or chest pains.

Some operators speak English but if you’re worried about speaking French you can call the central European emergency number on 112. Although it’s not guaranteed, most of their operators speak English.  

Importantly, you should not worry about being sent away for financial reasons if you need emergency medical care – under French law, hospitals and emergency services must treat any patient in an emergency. 

You may, however, receive a bill later.

Calls to SAMU are free but you will be billed for their services, with prices for consultations and call-outs varying greatly according to the département you are in. 

If you are resident in France and either have, or have applied for, a carte vitale, the costs will be covered by state system and your complimentary health insurance (mutuelle), if you have one – in the same way as other medical costs (eg GP visit, prescription).

READ ALSO How to get a carte vitale in France and why you need one

Be aware, however, that, in France, a doctor must confirm you are really in need of an emergency ambulance service, otherwise the cost of the ambulance might not be reimbursed.

In urgent situations, prescriptions for transport costs can be written afterwards. 

If you’re visiting France you will receive the bill the same bill for the cost of the ambulance, and will then have to claim back the cost from either your EHIC or GHIC card (for EU or UK residents) or via your own health insurance or travel insurance.

Sapeurs Pompiers (fire brigade)

This takes some getting used to for new arrivals, but, in France the sapeurs pompiers (fire brigade) can also be called out (dial 18) to medical emergencies, including traffic accidents and accidents in the home.

They receive extensive medical training and are more than simply ‘first-aiders’, but if the situation is very serious the pompiers may request help from the SAMU or the SMUR – these last are highly-trained medics whose role is to provide urgent care on the ground if the patient is in a life-threatening condition.

It is free to call the French fire brigade from any number, including for visitors and tourists. But unlike SAMU, you will not be billed for their services – unless, that is, you abuse the system.  

READ ALSO What to do if you have a medical emergency in France

Firefighters will bill anyone who makes a false call anywhere between €200 and €1,000 – and there’s no option to claim this cost back from anywhere.

In hospital

If your condition is serious, either the SAMU or the pompiers may take you to the nearest hospital for treatment.

In 2022, France introduced a new flat fee of €18 for treatment at hospital emergency departments known as the forfait patient urgences (FPU). This applies whether you are taken to the emergency department by emergency services or whether you get yourself to the hospital.

It applies to most people – there are exceptions – who receives treatment at an emergency room in a French hospital who does not then need to be admitted to hospital. 

Everyone is liable, whether they are French or not, whether they’re residents or tourists.

Anyone resident in France who has a mutuelle should be covered for this fee, but it is not reimbursable via the carte vitale.

READ ALSO What you need to know about France’s fees for emergency medical treatment

If your condition is serious enough that you are admitted to the hospital for further treatment, the bill depends on what treatment you receive and how long you stay.

Transport

What if you just need transporting to hospital for non-emergency appointments? Some patients are entitled to have the cost of transport covered by social security, including public transport, taxis, or ambulance – but in this case you would need to be living in France and registered in the French system.

Each area also has its own ambulance service – in most places these are white vehicles with a blue star and the name of the local authority that they are controlled by.

You may also be able to claim back fuel costs if you use your own vehicle.

The first step, in this instance, is to get your GP to fill out a prescription converting transport costs. This should also state what means of transport you should use.

You can be reimbursed for:

  • Trips to and from hospital out-patient care;
  • Care for a recognised long-term condition if you cannot get to the appointment by yourself;
  • If you have a serious condition where you need to be under surveillance or lying down during the journey;
  • Care linked to a work accident or work-related illness.

You will need approval from your local CPAM if your medical needs require the following:

  • Long-distance transport (more than 150km each way);
  • For treatment which requires at least four trips of more than 50km each way, in a two-month period;
  • If treatment requires you to travel a flight or boat trip.

Retain all receipts to send them, with a copy of the prescription authorising transportation to your local CPAM office for reimbursement of up to 55 percent of the total cost. 

READ ALSO Prescription fees and sick notes: What’s in France’s 2024 budget

Be aware that taxis you use must be ‘conventionné’ – ie licensed to transport patients. They will have a blue ‘C’ sticker in the back window.

Full reimbursement

The full cost of transportation is covered for the following: 

  • Pregnant women (six months or more);
  • Newborns less than 30 days old;
  • People who have suffered a work accident or occupational disease;
  • People suffering from a long-term illness (Affection longue durée or ALD);
  • Children and adolescents in centres d’action médico-sociale précoce (CAMSP) and centres médico-psycho-pédagogiques (CMPP);
  • Anyone entitled to complementary health insurance (Complémentaire santé solidaire or CSS) or state medical aid (Aide médicale de l’État or AME).

READ ALSO Explained: Who has to pay France’s annual healthcare charge

SHOW COMMENTS