Influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations are brought forward to the end of September | Society

The Public Health Council, representing all autonomous communities and the Ministry of Health, has updated the criteria for the next influenza and covid-19 vaccination campaign and determined that as of last week it will start in different autonomous communities during September and October.Additionally, in the new file Spanish influenza and covid-19 vaccination recommendations for the 2023-2024 seasonpeople from “health institutions” are also included in the target group, such as people working in pharmacies.

Also at the meeting held this Tuesday, the evolution of the epidemiological situation with the coronavirus was analyzed. Therefore, they note that in recent weeks, “a slight increase has been detected, which is stabilizing.” The infection rate in primary care is about 130 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. In addition, 3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants require hospitalization.

In a document published in July, authorities announced that the vaccination campaign would begin in October, but they said that date could be “adjusted based on the availability of vaccines.” Nursing homes and other care centers for people with disabilities and the population aged 80 and over are prioritized for immunization, without forgetting “the strategic importance played by health and social hygiene staff”.

The vaccine is also recommended for people with medical conditions that increase their risk of severe illness from COVID-19, such as chronic heart, kidney or liver disease, diabetes, obesity or any type of immune deficiency.

The government aims to achieve or exceed 75% coronavirus and influenza vaccination coverage among older people, health and social care workers, and 60% or above among pregnant women and people with at-risk conditions. These targets are consistent with those of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission.

The document from July last year stipulates that those who request it after a personalized assessment will receive the covid-19 vaccine outside the event. In these cases, the interval (at least five months) from the previous dose or infection must be taken into account.

Finally, the Ministry of Health reports on monitoring conducted by the Coordination Center for Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES) this summer. Mainly from the botulism outbreak, 13 cases have been recorded in June and July. On the other hand, they stressed that this shows that surveillance efforts for vector-borne diseases “have intensified”; and demonstrates the utility of mosquito alert platforms. In this context, they recall that five human cases of West Nile virus were detected in Spain this year.