The Junta of Andalusia will start a double vaccination campaign against influenza and Covid-19 on Monday for people in residential centers for the elderly and centers for persons with disabilities; the general population aged 85 or over; and health and social care centres, residential and disability centres. staff. The announcement was made last Tuesday by Catalina García, Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs, at a press conference following a meeting of the Andalusian Government Council, which had been informed of the plans of her department for 2023-2024 Instructions for the 2019 influenza and COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. On the 19th in Andalusia all the recommendations that need to be followed were published and it was emphasized that the number of doses of influenza vaccine to be purchased during this event has once again increased. Specifically, 2.2 million doses of vaccine will be administered in Andalusia, an increase of 7.5% compared to the previous vaccination campaign, mainly due to one of the most significant developments, which is the lowering of the starting age for adult influenza vaccination from 65 years Lowering it to 60, as the consultant explained, is the same as taking the covid-19 vaccine. Also, as in previous campaigns, Andalusia will use quadrivalent influenza vaccines, that is, they cover the two A strains and the two B strains of the virus, which is why, as the Committee explains, they “ “The most complete currently and therefore offers better protection and reliability. ” For its part, the Covid-19 vaccines available for this event include the main variant currently circulating in Spain (Ómicron XBB.1.5).
As in previous years, flu and Covid-19 vaccinations will be administered in phases. Therefore, from Monday, staff in care homes and disability centers will receive dual vaccination; the general population aged 85 or over; and staff in health and social care centres, residential and disability centres. Likewise, students on placements at the Center for Health and Social Care, Residential and Disability Centers will also receive the flu vaccine; children aged 6 to 59 months (inclusive) who attend calendar vaccine appointments. From Monday 16 October, people over 70, children six months or older, adults with risk conditions, highly dependent people and their professional caregivers, and people over 70 will be affected by influenza and coronavirus. 19 Vaccination. pregnant. From the same date, children aged 6 to 59 months (inclusive) will also receive the flu vaccine. The next phase will begin on October 30, the adviser said, detailing that from then on, people over 60 will receive double vaccination; other professional groups such as security forces, farm workers, ranchers or Veterinarians; and staff of prison institutions. The final phase will begin in December, when people whose homes are 60 or older or in high-risk groups will receive dual vaccinations.
Call for vaccination
Garcia called on people to get vaccinated to surpass the figures from the last campaign. Specifically, regarding the coverage of the anti-influenza campaign in 2022-2023, the Minister of Health clearly stated that in Andalusia, more than 70% of people over 65 years old have been vaccinated; 46% of the children group between 6 and 59 months , for the first time they are included in the system’s vaccination coverage; 81.3% are pregnant women; 50.6% are health and social health professionals. Specifically, from October 3 to the end of April, a total of 1,953,383 doses of vaccine were administered, which is an increase of 206,662 doses compared to the 2021-22 campaign and the highest number of influenza doses administered in Andalucia’s history. The adviser stressed the committee’s commitment to a “prevention policy” and the importance of vaccinating “vulnerable groups” such as the elderly as autumn approaches and “the spread of seasonal viruses, especially influenza”, “as he Underlined, this is key and fundamental to protecting them from serious illness and the income we can prevent through this action.