Double vaccination against influenza and covid begins for more than 300,000 residents of Extremadura

This Monday a campaign to protect against influenza and covid starts in Extremadura.two common respiratory illnesses during the colder months. As has been customary since the Covid pandemic, the Extremadura Health Service (SES) will again offer a joint double vaccination (on the same day and one in each group) to all vulnerable residents of Extremadura. Particular attention is paid to the population over 80 years of age. and those living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

But priority is also given to people over 60 (almost 310,000 Extremadurans are over this age). Vaccination is recommended for persons staying in boarding schools and boarding schools for the disabled, as well as other persons staying in special institutions for a long time, pregnant women in any trimester of pregnancy and persons experiencing the postpartum period (up to six months after birth). and also population under 60 years of age suffering from diseases that increase the risk of influenza and covidtheir cohabitants, as well as smokers. In addition, health and social care staff, as well as workers in essential public services such as firefighters or police officers, should be vaccinated “to reduce exposure and maintain critical and essential services in the community,” they explain from the Ministry of Health.

The goal is to achieve a vaccination rate exceeding 75% among older people and medical personnel. and that it reaches at least 60% in pregnant women and other people at risk. However, obtaining this data is not easy. During last year’s campaignVaccination coverage in the first three months barely reached 55% for influenza and 40% for covid.. In fact, given the low effect of immunization and the increase in these respiratory diseases after the Christmas holidays (mandatory use of masks was returned even in health centers and hospitals), the SES carried out an extraordinary vaccination campaign during the month of January in the afternoon and without an appointment to try to increase the level of vaccination among the population and thereby stop the rapid increase in the incidence of both pathologies.

Vaccinations available in the afternoon and without an appointment starting in November.

And to avoid a repeat of last winter’s situation, This year, the SES will allow some medical centers in each medical direction to carry out vaccinations in an extraordinary way without an appointment in the afternoon, starting in the second half of November.. This measure goes beyond routine morning vaccination visits at health centers or local clinics while the user is able to travel.

To this end, the Extremadura health system has already prepared about 300,000 doses of influenza vaccine, in which more than 3.4 million dollars have been invested. The main new thing this year is that For the first time, a high-load vaccine (called Efluelda), which provides the most protection, will be introduced.the entire population over 70 years of age, as well as older people over 60 years of age while they live in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. “Extremadura will vaccinate these groups with eflueda, compared to other communities that use it only for the institutionalized population, as well as for other persons aged no more than 80 years,” explains the Ministry of Health.

On Covid, SES has 131,000 Pfizer doses on hand, which will be increased as the campaign progresses. And doses from the Hipra laboratory are also again available for users who have any contraindications to receiving RNA vaccines. “Taking into account scientific data and new recommendations from health authorities, starting this year, vaccination against Covid will be seasonal during the period of the highest annual circulation of the virus, coinciding with influenza,” the SES explains. In any case, this vaccine is recommended for the same target population as the flu vaccine, “regardless of the number of doses previously received,” but is not recommended for people under 60 years of age without risk factors.