Covidliste: Get a Covid vaccination from leftover doses in France
Almost 300,000 people have already signed up to a new platform that connects users to participating vaccination centres, for doses that would otherwise be thrown away. We explain
People in France who are not yet eligible for a Covid vaccine can now sign up to a new platform to receive a leftover jab at the end of the day, to ensure “no dose is lost”.
The site is named Covidliste. It connects users to vaccination centres across the country, with the aim of “saving doses that otherwise risk being lost”.
Users sign up with personal data including name, age, address, contact details. Then, Covidliste explains: “When a dose is available, you are sent a link through SMS. Upon confirmation, you are put in contact with a vaccination centre.”
Users must agree to their data being shared with vaccination centre partners so they can be contacted if a leftover vaccine becomes available.
The Covidliste website features a simple sign-up form to connect users to vaccination centres. Image: Covidliste.com/Screenshot
Sign-ups are open to anyone who has not yet received a vaccine, whether you are eligible for the national rollout yet or not.
It is then up to the vaccination centre to contact you, depending on criteria such as where you live, how far away from the centre you are, your age, and which kind of vaccine is available.
If you do receive a vaccine, your second dose will be arranged directly with the vaccination centre, and not through the Covidliste site.
Signing up does not guarantee that a vaccine will be offered to you.
One user, Solène Martin, speaking to Covidliste, said: “I have no desire to take a dose from someone who should get one before me. But I would like to have a dose that would otherwise end up in the bin.”
Read more: France Covid vaccine schedule: When will I get my first dose?
Some vaccines, such as Pfizer/BioNTech, are especially vulnerable to being wasted, as they must be used very quickly after opening due to their storage requirements. Each vial contains between five and seven doses, depending on how much is wasted during the administration process.
Doses may be left unused in open bottles at the end of the day if booked-in patients miss their appointments, or if the number of doses did not exactly match the number of appointments booked that day.
At the time of writing, almost 300,000 people (and counting) had already registered on Covidliste, and the first vaccinations through the platform took place in Paris, and Pantin in Seine-Saint-Denis, on April 3.
The platform was initially launched in partnership with vaccination centres in Ile-de-France, and is set to be rolled out across the country in the coming weeks and months.
The technology was created by two computer developers - Martin Daniel and Mathieu Ripert - and Dr Antoine Roux at the Foch hospital in Suresnes, Hauts-de-Seine; in partnership with vaccination centres.
The trio has already responded to fears and criticism over how the app uses and stores personal data, reassuring users that the site respects GDPR rules, and that the data can be deleted upon request at any time. The privacy policy can be seen on the Covidliste website.
Booking tool
Another new tool, called Vite Ma Dose!, allows you to find the next appointment available on Doctolib in your department, automatically - if you are already eligible.
It was created by engineer Guillaume Rozier, who created the website CovidTracker, who said on Twitter: “Are you eligible for a vaccination but having trouble finding a dose? Vite Ma Dose! Is a new tool that automatically finds the next available appointment in your department on Doctolib.”
The site is “not an official tool, is not exhaustive, and does not replace manual searching,” it warns.
Currently, people aged 70 and over are eligible for a dose, as are people of all ages who are at-risk.
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