Cantabria has launched a joint vaccination campaign against influenza and COVID-19 aimed at protecting high-risk groups. As a novelty, children under five years of age have been included in the flu vaccine. During the event, infants will also receive respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination. About 3,200 infants are scheduled to be vaccinated.
This year, Cantabria’s vaccination campaign is focused on achieving the “maximum level of vaccine coverage” among people living in disability centers and nursing homes – considered the “most vulnerable groups”.
Therefore, the vaccination process began on October 1, prioritizing those at high risk of contracting both COVID-19 and influenza. As of October 15, it is the turn of the rest of the population, especially those over 60 years old.
Which groups of people in Cantabria are required to receive the COVID and influenza vaccine?
The Government of Cantabria explains that the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 and influenza targets the following groups:
- People over 60 years old.
- People over the age of five are sent to disability centers and nursing homes, as well as long-term institutions and residents of closed centres.
- People over five years of age receiving long-term treatment with acetylsalicylic acid due to the possibility of Reye’s syndrome following influenza.
- People under 60 years of age with risk conditions such as diabetes, chronic cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, kidney disease, respiratory disease or neuromuscular disease, and cancer.
- Pregnant women in any trimester of pregnancy and in the postpartum period (within 6 months postpartum and without vaccination during pregnancy).
- People who live with others who are highly immunosuppressed, such as those who have received hematopoietic progenitor cell transplants, solid organ transplants, and those with chronic renal failure.
- Staff from health and social care centers and institutions (public and private), as well as students practicing in these centres.
- Persons working in essential public services such as national security forces and agencies, the armed forces, firefighters and civil protection services.
- Persons who have direct occupational contact with animals or their secretions on poultry, swine, mink or wildlife farms or operations.
How to book a vaccination in Cantabria
In order to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza, residents of Cantabria can use the different channels provided by the Cantabrian Health Service (SCS).
People who meet vaccination criteria. This group can request an appointment with a reference nurse in a number of ways:
The Cantabrian government said people in the private sector can also request the vaccine, which is “universal”.
Prevent bronchiolitis
In addition to COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations, Cantabria will also launch respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunization among children for the first time. Ceuta Health Minister César Pascual said the virus “can cause bronchiolitis and respiratory infections, increasing the pressure on care, especially in hospitals”.
- Immunizations will be administered through medications rather than vaccines.
Bronchiolitis immunization is recommended for two groups of children:
- People born after April last year.
- Anyone born during the campaign period and under six months of age.
source
Government of Cantabria