Covid-19: France Sends 3,000 Unvaccinated Health Professionals To The United States.

However, French Health Minister Olivier Veran said that "most of the suspensions are temporary." Many now agree to be stabbed because "they see that the vaccination mandate is a reality," he said. 

President Emmanuel Macron first notified workers of the rule change on July 12, warning them that they must either get at least one strike or quit their jobs by September 15. "I realize what I want from you, and I know that you are ready for this commitment. This is part of your conscience," he said at the time.

Following the president's announcement, Doctolib, the website people use to order their bags, broke down because many people were trying to get an appointment. But with the mandate in place and thousands of people still refusing to get a vaccine, there are fears that health services will be cut off.

In just one hospital in Nice in the south of France, nearly 450 workers were laid off, sparking protests in front of the building. And in another southern city, Montelimar, a hospital has confirmed that it has started canceling emergency surgeries due to a lack of vaccinated anesthesiologists.

"We have to keep these people working until they are replaced," said Christoph Prudom, an emergency doctor and leftist lawmaker. But Mr. Veran told French radio station RTL on Thursday that "the continuity of care and the safety of supply as well as the quality of yesterday's care was guaranteed in all hospitals and medical and social institutions." 

However, some services, such as the MRT, were affected. For a few hours.

He added that the suspension mainly affected support staff and "some white coats." There were also "several dozen resignations" across the country, he said. When the vaccine was first released worldwide, France was one of the most skeptical countries globally.

According to an Ipsos study at the time, about 40% of eligible people said they were planning a vaccination. At the same time, a survey by BBC Monitoring found that the number of followers on French-language sites sharing anti-vaccine content increased from 3.2 million to nearly 4.1 million likes in 2020.

But with the introduction of the Covid health card in July, France has become one of the most vaccinated countries globally. Nearly 90% of all adults have suffered at least one stroke. France has also started vaccinating children 12 and over and supporting vulnerable people with a refresher strike.

Italy also introduced a mandatory "Green Pass" against Covid for all employees from October 15, which means that employees who do not have a vaccination certificate or recently tested negative for Covid will be penalized.

"The government is ready to accelerate the 'green gap'... not only for the public sector but also for the private sector," Regional Minister Mariastella Gelmini said Wednesday.