The Ministry of Health begins vaccination of the target population of Castile and León

Castilla y León begins the vaccination campaign of the target population today after administering 55,000 doses of flu and 33,000 doses of COVID to people in institutions this month, both in centers for the elderly and in centers for the disabled, pregnant women and children in under five years of age. At the same time, the Ministry of Health purchased 743 thousand units of serum against the influenza virus and has already distributed 713 thousand to all planned points of the Community.

This Monday, the Minister of Health, Alejandro Vázquez, received the flu vaccine at the Casa del Barco health center in the capital of Valladolid, at a time when he assured that the Community is “far” from the peak of infections so that the population can be vaccinated in time.

In this sense, he took the opportunity to highlight the importance of the immunization campaign for people considered the target population, as he recalled that “this will mean, above all, a reduction in the incidence of severe symptoms and therefore hospitalization” and also “very important » the burden of care that arises every year.

“This is very important because vaccines are a health measure with higher cost and effectiveness, since they prevent serious diseases and, above all, they also avoid overcrowding of the health system,” said the Minister of Health, noting that immunization began during the respiratory syncytial virus.

Regarding the vaccination among health workers, Alejandro Vázquez recalled that it starts this Monday and that the goal is to surpass last year’s figures. “We think this is also very important,” he said, and stressed that medical personnel should be vaccinated, firstly, to avoid getting sick during the period of maximum demand and, secondly, to avoid transmitting the disease. The announcement comes after 17,650 Regional Health Authority professionals were vaccinated last year, with primary and hospital care coverage at less than 50 percent.

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Flu and COVID vaccinations are recommended for people over 60 years of age; prisoners in nursing homes, nursing homes and closed institutions; minors from 6 months to 12 years with very high-risk conditions due to immunodeficiency or chronic diseases; persons over 12 years of age with certain pathologies (diabetes mellitus, Cushing’s syndrome, morbid obesity, chronic diseases and cancer). The target population also includes pregnant women and people living with highly immunosuppressed people.

One of the new things this year is that the adjuvanted vaccine will be used for the population aged 60 and over, as in previous seasons it was only administered to those aged 65 and over. This vaccine provides greater immunogenicity and additional protection in older adults than unadjuvanted doses. This season’s campaign will culminate with the introduction of a single dose of nirsevimab against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in fall 2024 to all children born between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025. The goal of the campaign is to prevent bronchiolitis.

Masks

Regarding the use of masks, the head of the Ministry of Health assured that they are for a “recommendation” and not an “obligation” depending on the circulation of the influenza virus, although they are considering the possibility of installing it in “particularly sensitive” places. “from hospitals. However, he clarified that this is a measure that the Ministry of Health must take by order.

The Ministry of Health expects that with the advent of influenza, the use of masks in medical centers and hospitals will return, as happened last season. The department, headed by Mónica García, is working on a document of general criteria that will be reviewed by the autonomous communities in the Public Health Commission on October 17, and which will present different scenarios and recommendations based on the development of respiratory infections in order to avoid collapse. centers.