The Ministry of Health will start a flu immunization campaign on Monday, October 16, which will coincide with the coronavirus vaccination of all people requiring dual immunity.
Health Minister Marciano Gomez said that the goal of the campaign is “to protect the most vulnerable groups who may suffer complications due to their personal circumstances.” The head of the health department stressed that “in view of the flu vaccination and the COVID-19 vaccine A large proportion of the target groups for vaccination are consistent, so a joint vaccination campaign is recommended.”
Specifically, for the 2023-2024 season, influenza and COVID-19 vaccination targets vaccination coverage of 75% or more for people over 65 years of age and health and social care workers, and 60% or more for pregnant women and people with other at-risk conditions The percentage of people with the condition. “This involves immunizing more than 1,350,000 people and administering more than 2 million doses at 2,683 vaccination sites, 417 of which are residential,” stressed Marciano Gomez.
combined vaccination
Combined influenza and COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for persons 60 years of age or older, persons 5 years of age or older receiving care in functional diversity centers, and other long-term institutionalized and closed facility residents.
Likewise, coadministration is also recommended for people under 60 years of age with dangerous medical conditions; pregnant women in any trimester of pregnancy and women in the postpartum period; people living with people who are highly immunosuppressed; public and private health and social health Staff of centers and institutions; and professionals working in essential public services (national security forces and corps, firefighters, civil protection personnel and those working in health emergency services).
priority
Priority will be given to vaccinations for residents of senior centers and centers of functional diversity; people aged 80 and over; health and social hygiene staff; people aged 60 to 79 and other high-risk groups.
Health professionals at residential centers have begun vaccinating residents and staff against COVID-19 and influenza at residential centers, supported by Ministry of Health staff where necessary.
For seniors aged 80 years or older, they will receive a flu shot at the health center along with their COVID-19 vaccine dose.
In this sense, citizens belonging to the high-risk groups requiring Covid-19 and influenza vaccination can request an appointment from the beginning of the bell through the Gva +Salut APP and the Conselleria de Sanitat website.
Regarding vaccinations for pregnant women, vaccinations will be given at health centers through routine pregnancy check-ups.
As for health personnel who rely on the Ministry of Health, they will be vaccinated through occupational risk prevention and/or preventive medicine services. In primary care, vaccinations will be administered by center staff.
Flu vaccination
This year, a new aspect of the campaign is the vaccination of Valencians over the age of 60, instead of the previously prescribed 65 years. Another novelty is that it includes healthy children under five years of age (6 to 59 months) in order to vaccinate the maximum number of citizens and prevent infections.
Children aged 6 to 59 months who are asymptomatic will receive the influenza vaccine at any time after the vaccination campaign begins, without interfering with the vaccination of other groups.
Likewise, another novelty of the 2023-2024 season campaign, as already announced by the Minister of Health, is that for the first time, an attenuated intranasal vaccine will be used among children aged 2 to 4 years in the Valencian community. Prevents influenza virus infection, is easier to manage and less aggressive in avoiding punctures.
Influenza vaccination is also planned for people aged 5 to 59 years who are at higher risk for influenza complications, such as: people aged 5 to 18 years who are receiving long-term treatment with acetylsalicylic acid because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome; people who are occupationally treated with acetylsalicylic acid Persons who have direct contact with animals or their secretions from poultry, pig or mink farms or farms, or wild animals (birds, wild boars or mustelids); and smokers.
COVID-19 vaccine
As for the COVID-19 vaccine to be vaccinated, it is the best vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). This is an mRNA vaccine obtained from the Omicron XBB.1.5 strain.