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French government partners with Doctolib for Covid-19 vaccine appointments

The French government has announced a partnership with the widely-used medical app Doctolib to allow people to book their vaccine appointments online.

Published: 12 January 2021 17:15 CET

French government partners with Doctolib for Covid-19 vaccine appointments

Photo: AFP

As France begins to step up its vaccination programme, the government had already announced that appointments could be booked by phone or via the state website sante.fr.

Now, however it has added that Doctolib – the app already in use by millions of people to book regular medical appointments – can also be used to book an appointment at a vaccine centre.

At present the vaccine is only available to certain groups in France – residents and staff in the country's Ehpad nursing homes, medical staff aged 50 or over and – from January 18th – the over 75s.

Doctolib says its vaccination appointments feature will be live from Thursday, which is also the day that over 70s can begin to make appointments.

Doctolib a été sélectionné comme partenaire officiel de l’Etat pour permettre aux Français de prendre rendez-vous en ligne pour se faire vacciner contre la Covid-19. Nous avons déjà équipé à ce jour 150 centres de vaccination dans toute la France. pic.twitter.com/3lIlovjXBS

— Doctolib (@doctolib) January 12, 2021

The online appointments for vaccines will only be for vaccination centres – which France aims to have 600 of by the end of the month. Doctolib will also be involved in some of the organisation of vaccine centres.

People can also opt to be vaccinated by their usual family doctor, or make an appointment in advance of vaccination with their doctor to discuss any concerns.

France has a strict priority order for when each group gets the vaccine, and at present there is no facility for people not in the priority groups to register in advance.

After a slow and widely-criticised start to the vaccination campaign the government has also simplified the appointment and consent procedure.

After making the appointment via phone or internet, people in eligible groups will have to fill out a health questionnaire and give consent, and then will be given the injection by a doctor or nurse in a vaccination centre.

They will stay in the vaccination centre for 15 minutes afterwards, in case of any side effects, and then go home. The second dose of the vaccination will be given three to six weeks after the first.

Most vaccinations in France are currently being done with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, but the first doses of the Moderna vaccine arrived in France on Monday. They have been prioritised for the eastern areas of the country that are seeing higher-than-average case numbers and high pressure on hospitals.

Doctolib is one of France's most successful start-ups and the smartphone app is used by millions of people to find a doctor or specialist in their area and book appointments.

For newcomers to France it also has a particularly useful feature – listing the languages that each doctor speaks.

Member comments

Anonymous - 13 January 2021 at 21:35 CET

My wife and I are both over 80, computer literate and drive. We found this evening (Wednesday 13th) that Doctolib was already open for Covid vaccination appointments. However, the site would only allow us to book at a centre some 70 kms from our home in the Ain, a difficult, tortuous drive across the Jura mountains. Nevertheless, we persisted and obtained a rendezvous. At that point, a note appeared telling us that the Saint Claude centre was only for residents of the Haute Jura region. On the government website sante.fr we found that there is a centre in Annecy, a direct drive along the autoroute. But there was no way that I could get the Doctolib site to make me an appointment there. Hopefully things will improve, but I wonder how other older people, French and foreign, will fare without computer skills and their own means of transport.
Anonymous - 15 January 2021 at 11:15 CET

When the French Government announced that over 75’s would be able to make appointment for vaccinations after 14th January,so that the criticism of the rate would be abated I was relieved. How ever the reality is different. On the 14th the site was not working and the message said that it would be in operation today, the 15th. It is live but NOT for people over 75! Very disappointing, why raise peoples hopes.

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Explained: How dangerous are French heatwaves?

A recent report highlighted the potential risks to athletes’ health if this summer’s Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games take place during a heatwave. The report, backed by climate scientists and athletes, warned of the potentially fatal risks of high temperatures at this year’s Games.

While most people are unlikely to be trying to break a 100m record during a heatwave – or any other time in fact – high temperatures bring with them serious risks to health.

Mercury rising

Any temperatures in France are getting higher, the country has endured a series of record heatwaves in recent years.

The all-time temperature record for Paris is 42.6C, set during a heatwave in 2019. It’s entirely possible this record won’t last long – 2022 was the hottest year on record in France, with a record 33 days meeting officially defined heatwave conditions: five in June and 14 in both July and August.

Vérargues, in the southern Hérault département, holds the highest recorded temperature in France – 46C set on June 28th, 2019.

The highest national average temperatures in France were recorded later in the year: August 5th, 2003, saw an average national temperature of 29.47C, followed by July 25th, 2019, when the average daily temperature was 29.4C.

And remember – air conditioning is not standard in French homes.

Health risks

There is no question that heatwaves can be fatal – some 400 people died in France in a two-week heatwave in August 2023 when new local temperature records were set around the country, according to public health data.

Over the whole of last summer, some 5,000 excess deaths were recorded between June 1st and September 15th, 2023, of which 1,500 were attributed to the heat.

Over the same period, nearly 20,000 heat-related emergency calls were recorded, according to a report by Santé Publique France published in February this year, and 10,600 additional hospitalisations followed a visit to the emergency department during periods of high temperature.

The risk is highest among the elderly or people with chronic health conditions, but also at risk are outdoor workers and people exercising – including hiking – during the hottest part of the day.

The government issues weather warnings – ranging from yellow (be aware) to red (potential risk to life) during heatwaves and we would strongly advise people to take notice and follow the advice, even if you come from a hot country.

Climate trends

And it seems that the situation is not going to get better soon, even if the response has improved.

“By the end of the century, heatwaves will be more frequent, more intense, and spread over a period from May to October,” warned France’s Haut Conseil pour le climat (High Council for the Climate) in a report in 2021.

Around 80 percent of the French population will experience 16 to 29 abnormally hot days each year over the three decades to come, as climate change takes hold according to a 2022 study by national statistics institute Insee – with Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Occitanie the most affected regions.

It estimates that more than 9 million people will have to endure more than 20 extremely hot days each year in the years to come. Nighttime temperatures will also rise, with some areas seeing up to 19 abnormally hot nights each year, compared to seven between 1976 and 2005.

The phenomenon of ‘tropical nights’ – where the temperature does not drop below 23C even at night – is linked to sleepless nights and heat stress, as the body does not get the chance to cool itself.

Meanwhile, Santé Publique France’s figures underline the impact of high temperatures during heatwaves, it said, and confirmed the need for measures throughout the country, and for a reinforced strategy of adaptation to climate change, to reduce the impact of heat on health.

The unusual Pentecôte public holiday in France, when many people work ‘for free’ by donating that day’s salary a government ‘solidarity fund’ for the elderly, was introduced in 2005 following the disastrous 2003 heatwave, when more than 15,000 French people, most of them elderly, died in the sweltering temperatures.

Heat islands

The particular problem with Paris – and other major conurbations – is that it is a noted ‘urban heat island’, where temperatures can be up to 10C warmer than in the surrounding countryside, due to a combination of human activities, concrete surfaces that reflect heat, and heat pollution such as air conditioning units and cars.

The phenomenon also leads to significantly warmer nighttime temperatures, as heat accumulates during the day but cannot escape in the same way it might in a less dense environment – making for sticky nights that make it hard to sleep and increase the effects of heat stress, especially among the elderly or ill.

Emergency plans

One thing that has improved in recent years is how France deals with its heatwaves.

After 2003’s fatal summer, the French government introduced new protocols to protect the public whenever the temperature rises above a certain threshold.

Today, when the temperature soars, the government issues health advice on staying safe, which includes: drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated, staying indoors during the hottest part of the day (afternoon and early evening), keeping in the shade, exercising only during the coolest parts of the day (early morning and late nights) and eating regular meals.

Most cities now have heatwave plans. Parks stay open at night and ‘cool rooms’ open up to give those in at-risk groups a chance to be taken somewhere they can cool down.

Fire risk

Extreme temperatures and long periods without rain also increase the risk of wildfires.

The year 2022 was the worst on record for wildfires in France. In total 72,000 hectares, or an area seven times the size of Paris, burned over the summer.

Overall, 90 percent of fires are caused by humans – either deliberately or accidentally. But while casually throwing away a cigarette is objectively dumb, heatwaves can – and do – increase the risk of fires.

Where weather conditions do have a major effect is in turning what would perhaps have been a containable fire into a wildfire that devours thousands of hectares of ground and prompt evacuations.

High temperatures make it more likely that fires will start, but drought conditions cause these fires to spread – parched vegetation with no moisture catches extremely easily. In the height of summer, large parts of the south of France are particularly at risk of wildfires.

This is far from a new phenomenon. It’s why there has always been a wildfire ‘season’ in the hottest months of the year and why wildfires are much less common – though not unheard of – in winter.

In October 1970, 11 people died in a wildfire near France’s far southeastern border with Italy and in 1985 an inferno in the same area killed five volunteer firefighters.

Deaths are more unusual today, thanks to improved techniques and technology, but the fires themselves are getting more common, bigger and occur over a wider geographical area.

Poor air quality resulting from wildfire smoke can be a serious health risk to those with respiratory conditions.

If you live in an area where wildfires are common, make sure you sign up to the government emergency text alert system so you get the latest advice on whether you need to evacuate. You can also keep track of the risk of wildfire in your area by checking the government’s forest fire map, which is updated daily.

And you have legal obligations, too, relating to keeping your property as clear as possible of fire hazards during key wildfire periods.

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