Close to 2,400 elderly residents and health workers in Monaco have been vaccinated against Covid-19 since the start of the new year. The next stage is set to begin on Tuesday, targeting people in two more vulnerable categories.
It was revealed during a meeting of the Joint Covid-19 Monitoring Committee on Friday that the current vaccination campaign, which primarily focusses on people aged over 75 and health workers, is “meeting expectations”, with thousands vaccinated so far. From Tuesday, people aged 65 and over will have access to the free vaccination, as well as those aged under 65 and suffer from co-morbidities (more than one illness or disease), upon presentation of a medical certificate.
After a significant jump in Covid cases following the Christmas period, the incidence rate (number of positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants over a seven-day period) has decreased slightly to 334 in Monaco, compared to 410 on 9^th January. The incidence rate in the Alpes Maritimes sits at 457 and 530 in Nice.
As requested by the National Council, testing has picked up pace again in the Principality, with several hundred students and school staff receiving PCR and antigen tests at the Léo Ferré centre.
“The objective was to be able to ensure, on a voluntary basis, students and teaching staff returned a negative Covid test after the vacation period, which is synonymous with population mixing. On average, Monaco always tests three times more than Nice, the city in France which tests the most,” said the government in a press statement.
The Joint Committee heard that the Principality had not yet detected a case of the UK Covid variant, but that “more complete sequencing analyses will be implemented from next week”.