The simultaneous vaccination campaign against flu and covid starts next Monday, the 9th, in nursing homes, with the aim of protecting users and professionals. Starting on the 16th, those over 80 years of age will also begin to be immunized in health centers, as well as health personnel and other professionals in essential services. Starting on the 30th, the population between 60 and 80 years old will be added, as well as chronically ill people and pregnant women. The main novelty, this season, is the inclusion of smokers as a risk group to be vaccinated, although only for the flu. The decision was made by consensus in the Interterritorial Council, and is being applied in all communities. Smokers are at greater risk of complications and respiratory superinfections, such as pneumonia.
The Minister of Health, Juan José Pedreño, outlined this Friday the calendar of the vaccination campaign against flu and covid, which actually started on September 25 in educational centers, with the protection of children aged 3 and 4 years with the intranasal flu vaccine. Children between 6 months and 3 years old will be vaccinated against the flu starting next Monday, the 9th. To do so, parents must make an appointment.
Health has acquired 391,000 doses of the flu vaccine for this campaign, of which 35,000 offer reinforced immunity, so they will be destined for those over 80. There are another 330,000 doses without adjuvant for the rest of the population, as well as 27,000 intranasal vaccines for children between 2 and 4 years old.
Regarding the covid vaccine, Salud has the new Pfizer formula adapted to the circulating subvariants of Ómicron. The investment for this campaign amounts, in total, to 2.3 million euros. The Health Minister highlighted the advantages of simultaneous flu and covid vaccination, which offers greater convenience to patients, by not having to travel to the health center twice, and improves coverage.
Last season, flu vaccine coverage reached 61% among those over 60 years of age, while it remained at 53% in the case of covid. Pedreño recalled this Friday that covid and flu present similar rates of complications and mortality, so the elderly and risk groups must protect themselves.
Those over 60 years of age will be able to make an appointment for vaccination through the Murcian Health Service ‘app’, online or by phone. Patients from risk groups who are under 60 years of age, such as chronically ill patients and smokers, must request an appointment in person at the health center, because there will not be a tab enabled for them on the website or the ‘app’ of ‘ murciasalud.es’.
Starting in December, the flu vaccination campaign will be opened to the entire population of the Region of Murcia, even if they do not present risk factors. Health does not include a general recommendation for vaccination against covid, given the scientific evidence. On the other hand, caregivers of elderly or at-risk people will be able to get vaccinated starting October 30.
Health reminds that those born in 1958, and people with risk factors for immunosuppression, should go to their health center to receive the vaccine against herpes zoster.
50% of babies under 6 months are already protected against bronchiolitis
Since last September 25, Salud has been administering nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody that protects against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), to babies up to six months old. Newborns are being immunized in maternity hospitals, before discharge, while those born since April 1 are being scheduled in health centers. The first balance of the campaign is positive, as announced this Friday by the Minister of Health, Juan José Pedreño. 3,041 babies have already received nirsevimab, which represents 50% of the target population.
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