Rarely – perhaps never – has a flu vaccination campaign started in 33-degree temperatures like the one in Asturias yesterday. The Ministry of Health started carrying out punctures against the influenza virus (for people over 60 years and high-risk groups), and against Covid-19 (for people 75 and over and immunocompromised people), with the aim of protecting more than half a million people. In fact, vaccination started last Monday in nursing homes and was extended to all citizens as of yesterday.
As far as influenza is concerned, the Ministry of Health has made available to Asturians “five vaccines, which best suit the needs of the population,” according to the Health Directorate.
Last fall, the region administered 294,683 doses of flu vaccine. Of those, 201,937 were in people 65 and older. This figure represents a coverage rate of 75.1% for this age group, slightly above the campaign’s stated target of 75%. Technical staff from the General Directorate of Public Health estimated that 567 people were hospitalized with influenza last winter, and 43 of them died.