Alicante starts vaccinations against influenza and covid-19

Alicante begins vaccinating around 500,000 people against influenza and COVID-19Axel Alvarez

On Monday, October 16, the Ministry of Health started a joint vaccination campaign against covid-19 and influenza. As in previous years, It will be made available to residents in phases, with priority given to residents of senior centers and functional diversity centers in the first round,

People over 80 years of age, health and social hygiene workers and other people between 60 and 79 years old who are in high-risk groups.

Three years of COVID in Alicante: 3,956 deaths, 536,471 infections

All in all, the government hopes that this event The entire Valencian community has a population of 1,135,000 people, which would represent 75% of the population within the parameters People who have been flagged for receiving both vaccines. In Alicante, about 500,000 people have been asked to be vaccinated in the first step.

Vaccinate residents and workers against COVID-19 and influenza The project is launched in the residential center by health professionals from the residential center itself, with the support of Ministry of Health staffsenior citizens aged 80 years or above have started receiving influenza vaccines at health centers, in parallel with the administration of COVID-19 vaccine doses.

A man receives one of two vaccines at Benalua Health Center

In this sense, citizens who belong to risk groups requiring vaccination, You must request a reservation from the start of the event via the Gva +Salut APP and the Conselleria de Sanitat website. Those who can be vaccinated include pregnant women, who will be vaccinated at health centers during routine pregnancy check-ups.

When it comes to types of vaccines to fight coronavirus, both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommend the best ones.its about mRNA vaccine obtained from Omicron XBB.1.5 strain.

prevent

The current situation with COVID-19 is different than at the beginning of the pandemic, and medical professionals at the Benalua Health Center believe this will mean that fewer people will decide to seek treatment. Online bookings allow vaccination shifts to be staggered more effectively, with 60 vaccinations administered on the first day of the Benalua vaccination campaign, something professionals at the center see as very positiveespecially knowing that there is only one consultation for vaccination.

Antonio and Antonia, aged 97 and 88 respectively, were among the first to go to the Benalua Health Center to receive two doses of the vaccine. Their daughter Isabelle stayed with them because she had difficulty walking. “We as a family are very aware of any vaccinations, especially after my brother had to spend 101 days in intensive care after contracting COVID-19 himself. As soon as the pandemic started,” Isabelle said.

As already published by the INFORMACIÓN newspaper on July 2, 2020, Marcos González successfully leaves ICU after 101 days in it. “From that moment we saw the importance of vaccination and preventing any kind of problems,” Isabelle emphasizes excitedly.

“Difficult” recovery after being admitted to intensive care unit for 101 days due to coronavirus

In order to reach the numbers expected by the health department, More than 2 million doses have been administered at 2,683 vaccination sites417 of which are residential, spread throughout the Valencian community.

Health professional prepares dose

anti-flu campaign

This year, as a novelty, flu vaccination includes Possibility of injecting it into healthy children under five years of age

(6 to 59 months), with the main goal being to immunize the maximum number of citizens and prevent infection.

Children aged 6 to 59 months without pathology You can get a flu shot at any time after vaccination campaigns begin

It will not affect vaccination of other groups.

Likewise, another novelty of the 2023-2024 season event is that for the first time Valencian community to use intranasal attenuated vaccine for children aged 2 to 4 yearswhich offers greater protection against influenza virus infection, is easier to administer, and is less aggressive in avoiding punctures.

return Plans to vaccinate people ages 5 to 59 who are at higher risk for flu complicationsfor example, persons between 5 and 18 years of age who are receiving long-term treatment with acetylsalicylic acid due to the risk of developing Reye’s syndrome; persons who are in direct occupational contact with poultry, pig or mink farms or farm animals or their secretions or wild animals; animals (birds, wild boars or mustelids); and smokers.

Immunization Professional

The health department of the Alicante General Hospital prepares for the start of the influenza immunization campaign season Professional vaccination marathon Two vaccines are given.

Therefore, the Preventive Medicine Service coordinates the vaccination campaign at Doctors Balmis Hospital for all professionals working in health facilities of the sector and implements the marathon strategy in collaboration with primary care professionals. “Following the success of our first vaccination marathon two years ago for healthcare workers, we decided to repeat this initial initiative with the aim of promoting and encouraging more professionals to get vaccinated At the same time, as an awareness campaign,” details Dr. José Sánchez Payá, Head of Preventive Medicine Services.

A health professional receives a vaccine at Dr. Balmis Hospital

Any unvaccinated healthcare professional can be a source of infection. Therefore, vaccination of people helps reduce health care-related morbidity and mortality. Through this marathon, “We call on people to get vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19,” commented Dr. Sanchez, recalling that “scientific evidence tells us that people infected with both viruses at the same time can become infected with SARS. – Greater complications from CoV-2 and influenzahence the importance of double vaccination,” he noted.

The marathon was held in the hospital skylight, The target has been set to immunize 1,000 professionals from 8 am to 8 pm on October 16 and 17 from the department.