Covid vaccine, who should get it and when: all the info

In the last week, 9,670 new Covid infections were recorded in Italy, down about 25% from the 12,876 of the previous week. Deaths instead went from 75 to 97, up about 30%. With these numbers, the engines of the anti-Covid vaccination campaign are ‘warming up’, which will start at the same time as the flu vaccination in early October. But who should get vaccinated and when? And those who had the Sars-CoV-2 disease in the summer – when there was a rise in cases – when should they get the vaccine?

Covid vaccine, who and when? All the answers

The first question was answered by the circular from the Ministry of Health with the indications for the vaccination campaign. The pillars are the recommendation for some categories and the free offer in any case for those who want to get the dose of vaccines adapted to the JN.1 variant. The second question is answered by Roberta Siliquini, president of the Italian Society of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine and Public Health (Siti). “For those who had the Covid disease in the summer and fall into the categories for which the ministry indicated the recommendation, the WHO and Siti guidelines tell us that it is advisable to get the booster dose 3 months after testing positive for Covid. Therefore – she clarifies to Adnkronos Salute – those who had the disease in July-August can get the vaccine, updated to the latest variant, in November”.

The vaccine is therefore recommended for “people over 60 years of age; residents of long-term care facilities; women in any trimester of pregnancy or in the postpartum period, including breastfeeding women; healthcare and social health workers providing assistance in hospitals, in the community and in long-term care facilities; medical students, students of the health professions doing internships in care facilities and all healthcare and social health personnel in training; people aged 6 months to 59 years inclusive who are highly fragile, as they suffer from pathologies or conditions that increase the risk of serious Covid-19”.

“We must remember – Siliquini emphasizes – that the vaccine is not the same as the 2023-2024 campaign, but is updated to the JN.1 variant. So there can be no excuse ‘but I had the dose last year’: those who are in the categories for which it is recommended, should have the booster from October”. Can the anti-Covid vaccine be taken together with the flu vaccine? Yes, indeed it is recommended by experts and in fact the Covid circular clarifies that it is “possible to co-administer the new updated vaccines with other vaccines (with particular reference to the flu vaccine), subject to any specific indications for use or clinical evaluations”.