This Monday, the Community of Madrid began simultaneously vaccinating the region’s 1.6 million citizens against influenza and Covid-19 (revaccination), people over 60 years of age, health and social care workers, and children from 6 months to 56 years (almost). 5 years), in this case only an anti-influenza dose.
After this first stage, starting from October 21, the process will be extended to the remaining target groups: pregnant women, people with chronic diseases, people with cardiovascular, respiratory, renal pathologies, diabetes or weakened immune systems, as well as carers of children . vulnerable people. It will end on January 31 next year.
Health Minister Fatima Matute attended a nursing consultation at the Somosaguas Health Center in Pozuelo de Alcorcón, where she witnessed the immunization process of Margarita Arenas, 78, and her husband José María Sánchez Martín, 79.
It is people over 60 who are most aware of the need for vaccination, as explained by Isabel Sierra Martin, director of the health center. “Vaccination improves health, the flow of consultations and hospitalizations decreases.
This is the case for Jose Gomez, 67, who came to receive the double vaccination “because in other years it went “very well”” and he urged people to get immunized, remembering that it is a simple process.
Children aged 6 to 59 months (almost 5 years) are also starting to get vaccinated, a group that is receiving the flu vaccine for the second year. The Health Minister attended the procedure for sisters Irene and Isabelle, aged 1 and 2 years.
As an innovation, this case includes intranasal doses for healthy children aged 2 to 4 years, according to Isabel Hernandez Izquierdo, director of nursing at the medical center.
In this sense, Matute emphasized the importance of vaccination. “First don’t get sick, and then don’t infect. We are one of the autonomous communities with the largest vaccinated population; This will ensure that you don’t get sick and that if you don’t get sick, you won’t be able to infect fragile people who may be around you, through which we will carry out vaccination and awareness campaigns so that everyone who is about to get sick gets vaccinated. get vaccinated,” he said.
Between October 2023 and April 2024, Health achieved 69.1% coverage among people over 65 years of age. The target is 75% set by the World Health Organization (WHO), which was not achieved in the last campaign, but this year it seems that users are ready to get vaccinated since Covid is already behind us,” explained Sierra Martin.
Flu and Covid situation
In statements to the media, the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Elena Andradas, emphasized that “we are currently starting to see a slight circulation of both influenza and Covid,” although the situation, she explained, is “stable.” .
“That is why we are starting vaccinations at the moment, so that in the coming weeks people can be vaccinated and thus be protected from the greater circulation that we expect from the end of October,” – at the beginning of October In November it is mainly both influenza viruses and viruses against Covid-19,” he noted.
“Covid is a virus that is constantly present in Madrid and throughout the world, so there may be certain peaks in incidence throughout the year. In fact, around June we had perhaps a more important event. It is for this reason that we recommend this synergistic simultaneous vaccination for both influenza and Covid because of the impact it has on people who may become infected with Covid-19,” he explained.
Regarding influenza, he recalled that vaccines are already adapted to influenza strains circulating in the southern hemisphere, which sets the trend in the northern hemisphere. “Our vaccines are already adapted to two similar strains of the A virus, H1N1 and H3N2, as well as two strains of the B virus, which usually circulates at the end of the infection season,” he said.
To implement this initiative, the regional executive committee purchased more than 1.6 million flu units, which is 40.3 thousand more doses compared to the previous one. The set includes 75,000 intranasal vials for children aged 2 to 4 years.
The total budget is 21.5 million euros. This Madrid health investment covers 980,000 doses of adjuvanted vaccine, which will be administered to the population aged 60 years and over; 70,000 high-volume injections for persons housed in residence; and 500,000 vials of quadrivalent inactivated vaccine intended for citizens 5 to 59 years of age with at-risk conditions and children 6 months to 2 years of age.
Request an appointment
For the fourth year in a row, the simultaneous vaccination campaign against influenza and Covid-19 (booster vaccination) will be carried out mainly in health centers and primary health care departments, public hospitals and homes for the elderly and people with disabilities.
To receive this service in the public primary health care network, the user needs to make an appointment with the nursing staff. To do this, you have several options: in person, at your medical center; call the latter’s phone number and indicate option 3; at digital kiosks located there using the flu vaccination button; through the Virtual Health Card application, at a doctor’s appointment or on the Madrid Community website.
Joint immunization will also be carried out at the Madrid Community Vaccination Center, located at 15 Calle General Oraa in the capital; public hospitals of the Madrid Health Service (patients with diseases at risk); services for the prevention of occupational risks of health care resources, as well as several private medical complexes. The Covid-19 doses are vaccines adapted to the new JN.1 sub-variants of the Omicron variant in accordance with national and international recommendations.
The General Directorate of Public Health has prepared information materials including posters for the target population and information leaflets on influenza vaccination for children aged 6 to 59 months. All content is available on this site.