The Public Health Commission, composed of representatives of all Spanish autonomous communities and the Government Ministry of Health, has decided: Promote annual vaccination campaign Combating the 2023 influenza and covid-19 may also include protection against new strains of the virus.
The news follows a meeting held on Tuesday, September 12, just a few weeks ago Positive cases rebound Covid-19 outbreaks caused by two new strains derived from the Ómicron variant have emerged in several countries, including Spain.
The infection rate is currently around 130 cases per 100,000 residents. Therefore, taking into account the key role of high-risk groups and social and health personnel, the immunization campaign originally scheduled for October will begin at the end of September.
What is the vaccination schedule?
Throughout our lives, we are all considered for a range of vaccines recommended by our national health systems. vary depending on certain factors Examples include age, geographic region of residence, risk group membership, or seasonality of vaccine-preventable diseases.
Therefore, the content of the program may vary depending on Advances in Epidemiology and Preventive Treatment For example, vaccines.
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Although there is no clear known cause, the viruses that cause influenza have seasonal patterns and cause influenza The incidence of this disease is higher Global autumn and winter seasons.
What is clear, at least, is that during the colder months of the year, there are usually Closed spaces are more crowded And there is less ventilation than in warmer months, allowing the virus to spread through water-based particles in the air.
Vaccine against covid-19 virus has been administered For use with 2021-2022 influenza vaccine to reduce the number of serious cases of both diseases at this delicate time of year.
However, the upcoming event may include something new: Apps Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for omicron variant XBB.1.5 substrainrecommended by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which has achieved good results in laboratories against the strain that has become dominant in recent months.
The final decision is now in the hands of the European Commission, so if it is ultimately approved, the Spanish authorities can Include this drug in your vaccination schedule Just as I planned.
Government vaccination recommendations
Key advice from the national health system is to prioritize vaccinations People at high risk for complications If you get the flu, and those who come into direct contact with these people and could spread the disease to them. This includes:
- people Over 60 years old.
- Organization insiders Elderly or disabled people.
- those who make others suffer The situation is serious Such as diabetes, morbid obesity, chronic cardiovascular, neurological or respiratory diseases, immunosuppression, etc.
- people pregnant.
Health and human services workers will also be prioritized for vaccination to minimize impact on essential services.This also includes firefighters and security forces.
According to the Ministry of Health, as of June 2023, 86% of the Spanish population I already have a complete vaccination plan Vaccine doses against Covid-19 do not include specific protection against new strains that will be included in this year’s vaccination campaign.