(ANSA) – Rome, Elida Sergi reports – Family doctors’ offices are overcrowded these days: many cases of colds, many diseases caused by parainfluenza viruses and the flu itself, which, although it has not yet reached the epidemic stage, is still continues to spread.
Delays in the delivery of data have resulted in an incomplete view of trends, but predictions from GPs are that flu could become prevalent within weeks.
Of concern for COVID-19, another virus of high concern, is the difficulty of case surveillance.
Claudio Cricelli, president of the Italian Society of General Medicine and Primary Care (SIMG), explained: “Real data related to patients with this disease are difficult to come by.”
Most people won’t take a swab, also because symptoms of COVID-19 are usually quite mild.
However, “we are seeing an increase, which we expected because like all respiratory illnesses, the virus spreads more easily when winter comes, especially when we spend more time in closed environments,” ” Supplement: Fountain.
Meanwhile, as the first cold weather arrives, there is a rush to vaccinate the frail, elderly and at-risk groups, who are strongly encouraged to get a flu shot, such as one against COVID-19.
The latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that Covid-19 coverage remains too low (just over 3% of people aged over 60) due to a lack of pharmacy access in many areas.
When it comes to the flu vaccine, family doctor consultation is also the protagonist, and family doctors are responsible for vaccination in 90-95% of cases.
“Those who have traditionally been vaccinated, which is people over 60, people with medical conditions, the elderly, vulnerable groups, have been vaccinated,” Critchley said.
“All appointments are now fully booked up until the beginning of December. Most vaccinations are given before these dates, so within ten days or so at most, we GPs will have completed most of the vaccinations.”
He added: “There is a tradition now whereby, although we will not achieve the ideal target of having 12 or 13 million vaccines, a large proportion of the population who are eligible to be vaccinated has been vaccinated and is used to doing so. Especially “older people are very used to it. We are vaccinating many of them. ”
In addition, in many areas, because the groups recommended for COVID-19 vaccination and those recommended for influenza vaccination fall into roughly the same category, dual vaccinations are carried out during the same period.
Received good response from patients. “This is now a unified process,” Critchley stressed, also inviting those who have not yet been vaccinated to get vaccinated, ideally in the short term.
“The president of SIMG emphasized that the vaccine can be effective in preventing influenza 10 to 15 days after vaccination.”
“Anyone who gets vaccinated now will be protected until early December, so the advice is to get vaccinated as early as possible and not wait until the last minute. But even if it’s too late, it’s worth it anyway.”
There is a vaccine, sufficient to meet all needs and requirements,” he added. (ANSA).
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