Wife had AZ last Saturday…I’m past 65… and had exactly those symptoms felt quite rough for 36 hours, but then fine
After weeks of trawling through all the centres in 3 departements, and one in a 4th, without success I went to our doctor’s receptionist today to ask for vacc. for my wife and I. The reason why I had not done this before was because they had a sign on the door which said only ‘50 to 65 year olds’.
Today that had been partly overwritten ‘…to 74 year olds’.
Her face dropped when I said we were 78 but she has taken our details and will let us know when/if the situation changes. On verra.
Haven’t you had a letter from Ameli inviting you to partake … sent out to all 75+ on their books… 
as far as I know… around January.
Yes, one each, weeks ago, but about as useful as a chocolate teapot. All it did was encourage me to apply on line to all the centres that have proved so useless ever since.
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I found the on-lines all showed as full last week … after our Doc gave us the go ahead for OH to be vaccinated…
Somewhat dismayed, I phoned around… hit lucky 2nd time… and… amazingly only had to hold for a few minutes before my call was answered by a real person.
Seems they want OH’s letter, CVitale and drugs’ prescription… when he goes on 18th March… chuffed about the swift appointment and glad I didn’t chuck his letter away…
perhaps you could try ringing your local centres, again … 10am was lucky for me.
(I’m wondering if the phone contact enables them to fill spaces where someone has cancelled)
I am nervous about phoning, my hearing is somewhat impaired and this is worse with phone conversations and especially in French. I am worried that they will speak too quickly and I might get the wrong end of the stick.
This apparent lack of comprehension in the language is embarrassing after living here so long but I know it shouldn’t be, that it has been getting worse over the years, not better. When I started work here as a driver in 1999 I travelled the length and breadth of France and sometimes beyond. No sat nav and no visual communication, all my instructions for going to the next loading point came in telephone calls in the cab and only once was there a mistake and that was because a faulty address was given to me.
Which is why I drove to the surgery today rather than telephone, and why I don’t trust phoning instead of online searching. No more though, I’ll simply wait and take my chances.
Oh David, I spent so many years when I was young and hadn’t yet learnt French being so scared to call. If you would like some help I don’t mind calling for you, just private message me. seems a shame to miss out (potentially) on a quicker RDV for the sake of a quick call.
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David… I would much rather speak face to face than on the phone… but, I am pleased to say that… although the lady started off rather fast… she did slow down.
It helped, I think, that I had my first phrases ready…
Bonjour Madame
Mon mari a soixante-quinze ans et il a reçu une lettre de Santé France concernant vaccination. (while this might not be correct French, it is understandable)
After that she asked me simple questions
His name?
His age?
Date of birth?
Postcode?
Commune?
Honestly, David… I was so relieved.
Oh … and I asked her to repeat the date and the time… and she slowed right down and said both, very clearly… phew. (I have trouble with numbers over the phone)
I wrote down the appt date and time, then read it back to her… just to be sure.
As Tory says… why not ask someone to help you… armed with all the info… anyone can make the appt.
best of luck
PS. I have found that by speaking clearly and slowly, that slows the other party down… also… “trop vite, madame/monsieur… trop vite…” works well.
I’ve heard the French also say “doucement, doucement”
I agree with Stella. - prepare vocabulary. I also ALWAYS, start by apologising (in French) and saying I am English and only speak a little French. In most cases that disarms and gives them a chance to say "you speak good French (I don’t) which then enables me to say “vous êtes très gentil/gentille” which disarms further. Maybe it’s easier for women - we are expected to be less competent (NB: I wish it were otherwise), and we have fewer issues about being apologetic.
If using the phone is a problem generally for you David, have you perhaps considered getting a phone designed for the hard of hearing?
It just so speeds up what one can achieve if one has the confidence to use the phone.
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yes, doucement works well, too … also good for calming over-excited dogs… 
whatever one says… having it actually written down makes all the difference, for me at least, as I find my mind can go blank at the most inopportune moments… 
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I wonder if so much fuss was made when they used inoculation to get rid of Smallpox ?
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Times change.
There was new legislation passed a couple of years ago to increase the number of compulsory inoculations for babies, it has caused a fair bit of controversy and resistance and I imagine the authorities now wish to be seen to be checking /testing/ evaluating in order not to mess up eg the way they did with the blood and hgh scandals.
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Jean Castex has asked vaccination centres to stay open at weekends.
Why the hell has he got to do that and why is the Government still playing at this vaccination programme?
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Jane, it’s not the UK and things are done differently, most people still don’t want to be vaccinated anyway, and that includes many health professionals. We’ll get there in the end but most of us are going about our daily lives pretty much as before “métro boulot dodo”. France has been hit far less than the UK and so the measures are and have been different too, from what I’ve heard (no UK media input here, not got it or the time to go looking for it!). I think everyone here is far better off here than in the UK regardless of being vaccinated or not. 
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The problem is that cases are going up not down Andrew.
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Well, thanks to those of you who answered me directly, and very generous Tory for your offer, but if my experience online is anything to go by, it would not be one little phone call. Surely phoning can’t be so much more effective than online contact and on some days I have made contact with around 30 odd centres without success. The only way I can think of which would make a phone call more effective is the fact that you have a person ‘imprisoned’ on the other end so can’t give your rdv away to someone else while you answer all the questions, something that has happened to me on no less than 3 occasions online.
Again, many thanks for the advice and offer, but I could get my neighbour to make a call for me, she doesn’t speak English but that is no problem because I speak French, face to face. But the thought of her having to make multiple calls involving waits on the line puts me off somewhat.
I’ll give it some time to see if anything comes from my contact with the surgery receptionist yesterday. 
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The seven day average deaths is higher in France than the UK
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Fair enough David. I might well have just struck lucky, getting through by telephone … and only attempted it at all… since all the sites/diaries online were marked as “full for several weeks… please try later”
I’m waiting to hear when I can get jabbed… might be able to have it at my own Doc now… but I’m not pushing as we are in a good/safe situation and there are others whose needs are greater than mine… (glad OH is booked in though as he does have serious health problems)
And some of us most definitely are not. I realise some of you have no option but to go about your daily lives as if all is well. There are others of us who dearly would like to do so.
For me, it will not be enough to be vaccinated, I need the great majority of those around me to also be vaccinated, otherwise my life will continue to be very much not as before.
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As I said, no idea what is happening in the uk apart from the fact that they’re still confined. Not saying things are perfect here either just that I’m glad I’m here not there
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