Nursing homes to start administering flu and coronavirus vaccines on Tuesday

On Tuesday, vaccination against influenza and Covid-19 will begin among people in institutions in Castile and Leon, and a week later, on October 10, the flu vaccine will be available to the general population in the recommended group. For the 2023-2024 vaccination campaign, the Department of Health will provide 805,500 doses of influenza vaccine this year, including recommendations for children aged 6 to 59 months and smokers.

Vaccinations in institutions began this week after the community received more than 400,000 doses from the Ministry of Health. Its administration will be the responsibility of health professionals from the health districts of Castile and León, who will travel to these institutions to administer both vaccines. Their presence will be used to vaccinate the professionals working there.

Health and social hygiene staff will be able to receive both vaccines in the workplace by referring to occupational health services. For the remaining groups 60 and older and those under 60 with risk factors, each health district determines where vaccinations are available and how to make appointments based on social, demographic and health status, among other things.

You can apply for a vaccination appointment three days before October 10 through the usual channels, such as the Sacyl Conecta app, the phone number of your health center and the Castile and Leon Health Portal. The bulk of the vaccination campaign will take place in October, November and the first half of December, although health centers always have a surplus of vaccine for those who wish to receive it later.

risk groups

Regarding the flu, the campaign will target people who are at higher risk of complications from the flu, as well as those who may be at higher risk of transmitting the flu to other complications. The vaccine is recommended for people aged 60 and over; people who have been confined to disability centers and nursing homes for five or more years, as well as other long-term institutionalized people and residents of closed institutions.

Additionally, it targets people under 60 years of age with risk conditions such as diabetes and Cushing’s syndrome, morbid obesity, chronic cardiovascular, neurological or respiratory diseases including bronchopulmonary dysplasia, cystic fibrosis and asthma, Being a recipient of blood products, asplenia or severe splenic dysfunction, chronic liver disease (including chronic alcoholism), severe neuromuscular disease, immunosuppression (including primary immunodeficiency and immunodeficiency caused by HIV infection or drugs), and Transplant recipients and complement deficiencies.

Additionally, it targets cancer and hematological malignancies, cerebrospinal fluid fistulas and cochlear implants or pending, celiac disease, chronic inflammatory diseases, conditions and diseases that cause cognitive impairment; Down syndrome, dementia, etc.), and Pregnant women in any trimester of pregnancy and women in the postpartum period (within 6 months postpartum and not vaccinated); People living with highly immunosuppressed people; Except those working in health and social care centres, and those involved in essential services personnel, such as agents of national security forces and agencies, firefighters, civil defense personnel.

Sacyl ruled out the possibility of vaccinating the general population with the coronavirus vaccine without risk pathology and under the age of 60. If a highly pathogenic variant emerges, there will only be another scenario, which is “extremely unlikely” to occur when a given virus typically evolves toward milder forms.

related news