It’s an angry doctor who receives us in the pulmonology department he runs. Exasperated to see that vaccination still encounters refractories, difficult to overcome even after severe hospitalization.

In his unit, 95% of patients are not vaccinated. “We have a patient who has been in the hospital for 35 days, who has suffered all possible and imaginable medical aggressions, who ends up with two drains in the thorax and who still has not changed his mind “regrets the helpless Dr. Christophe Perrin.

According to him, with international studies in support, a single reality must continue to be hammered into the ears of the general public. “The big difference between spring 2020 and today is that vaccination has made Covid deaths disappear. It also reduces hospitalizations by 80%.

“Patients cannot access healthcare”

Another reason for his anger: the increased activity linked to Covid-19 limits access to pulmonology care. “Three-quarters of the service is blocked by hospital beds. There is a whole activity of “respiratory patients”, whom we only take care of, who cannot have access to care: those who may be in the process of cancer, people with respiratory failure who are decompensating, those who need an etiological assessment, or specialized explorations, he lists. And when the patient cannot have access to care, there can be deleterious collateral effects, such as delays in diagnosis. It’s worrying.”

“A duty of neutrality”

This annoyance, shared by many caregivers and doctors, does not, however, fall into judgment. “Vaccination raises debates, yes. But it remains an individual choice. At the hospital, when you put on the white coat, you don’t judge the patient’s private life.emphasizes Aurélie Sartor, healthcare executive in pneumology.

Same story with Professor Yann-Erick Claessens, Head of Emergency: “If we were judgmental, we wouldn’t treat those who have smoked all their lives, those who have liver disease from alcohol, or those who have had an accident because they were driving too fast. It is inconceivable. We have a duty of neutrality that we apply to all patients. »

“Some anti-vax have decided to get vaccinated”

So do we have to convince those who resist vaccination? “We are not here for thatbelieves Aurélie Sartor. But the doctor’s speech is to encourage them to get vaccinated to prevent them from being affected by the disease and from being life-threatening due to their pulmonary history. We had some great stories, like anti-vaxers who decided to get vaccinated at the hospital during their stay.”