Osakidets opens this Monday, November 4th, vaccination campaign against influenza and covid for the entire population of Euskadi after the first phase, in which people aged 60 years and older, so-called risk groups and people with chronic diseases were vaccinated.
The Basque Health Service launched a vaccination campaign against influenza and Covid on October 7 under the slogan “Don’t take risks with influenza and Covid.” Get vaccinated” and two ways to register: through the Osakidetza website or by calling the medical center.
For another year, along with the influenza vaccine, at-risk populations are offered the opportunity to simultaneously receive a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has been updated to include the Omicron variant.
Giving priority at the first visit to people aged 60 years and older, people suffering from any type of chronic disease (lungs, heart, diabetes, etc.), as well as pregnant women, health care workers, social service workers and people involved in care, family members and People living in nursing homes, starting this Monday, vaccination will be open to the entire population.
In addition, for the second year in a row, Osakidetza systematically vaccinates children over 6 months and under 5 years against influenza, as it has included this vaccine in the vaccination schedule for children in this age group. People over 5 years of age who are at risk will also be vaccinated.
What is new is that children aged 20 months to 5 years will receive the vaccine intranasally, avoiding a puncture, so higher vaccine compliance is expected.
The intranasal influenza vaccine will be exclusively for the aforementioned pediatric population, so that the majority of the population will receive the intramuscular quadrivalent vaccine, which will increase their protection against the different strains of influenza: 2 type A and 2 type B.
755,600 DOSES OF FLU VACCINE
For the current campaign, 700 thousand doses of quadrivalent influenza vaccine with fractionated inactivated viruses, intended for the population from 6 months of age, have been purchased; and 19,500 doses of quadrivalent influenza vaccine, high antigen load of split viruses, inactivated for hospitalized people 65 years of age and older.
Also purchased were 1,100 doses of a quadrivalent cell culture-based influenza vaccine intended for persons with egg and/or aminoglycoside allergies over 2 years of age, as well as 35,000 doses of an attenuated intranasal vaccine intended for children from 24 to 59 months. .
A total of 755,600 doses of flu vaccine will be available, which, if demand increases, could be increased by 20% to reach 906,720 doses, the highest number ever planned by Osakidetza in 36 years of its campaigns.
The Ministry of Health insists that a vaccine is the best way to protect the population, especially when simultaneous circulation of influenza and Covid is possible this year, and remembers that both influenza and coronavirus infection “are two major health problems.” whose transmission routes simply concentrate on the entire population when coughing, talking or sneezing.
In addition to vaccination, the Ministry of Health and Osakidetza remember that influenza and covid can be prevented by observing a number of measures, such as hand hygiene, avoiding crowds, ventilating indoor spaces and using a mask.