The community will begin a flu immunization campaign on Monday, October 16, which will coincide with the coronavirus vaccine for all those requiring dual immunization. Specifically, for the 2023-2024 season, the target for influenza and covid-19 vaccination is vaccination coverage of 75% or more for people over 65 years of age and health and social care workers, and more than 60% vaccination coverage, the government said in a statement The situation for pregnant women and people with other risk conditions is detailed in . Health Minister Marciano Gomez said the goal of the campaign is to “protect the most vulnerable people who may suffer complications due to their personal circumstances,” as the government explained in a statement.
The head of the health department explained that given that “a large proportion of the target groups for influenza vaccination and covid-19 vaccination coincide, a joint vaccination campaign is recommended.” He noted: “This involves more than 1.35 million people Immunization, with more than 2 million doses administered at 2,683 vaccination sites, 417 of which are residential areas.”
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 institutional residents and residents of closed institutions. Likewise, people under 60 years of age with dangerous diseases, pregnant and postpartum women in any trimester of pregnancy, people living with highly immunosuppressed persons, public health and social workers in health centers and institutions, and people working in essential public health are also advised Service work for private individuals and professionals. In all cases, priority will be given to vaccinations for residents of senior citizens’ and functionally diverse centres, the population aged 80 and over, health and social hygiene staff, people aged 60 to 79 and other risk groups.
Vaccination point
Residential center health professionals, with support from Ministry of Health staff, will begin vaccinating residents and staff against covid-19 and influenza at residential centers “where necessary”. For those aged 80 years and above, they will receive the flu vaccine at the health center along with the covid-19 vaccine. In this sense, citizens belonging to high-risk groups requiring Covid-19 and influenza vaccination can request an appointment from the beginning of the campaign through the GVA+Salut APP and the Ministry of Health 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.
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 infection.”
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 event is that for the first time the Valencian community will administer an attenuated intranasal vaccine to children aged 2 to 4 years, providing “greater protection” against influenza virus infection, by Punctures are avoided, are “easier” to administer and “less aggressive”.
Influenza vaccination is also planned for people aged 5 to 59 years who are at higher risk for influenza complications, such as those aged 5 to 18 years who are receiving long-term acetylsalicylic acid treatment. Risk of Reye’s syndrome, direct occupational exposure to poultry, People with pig or mink farms or farm animals or their secretions or wild animals (birds, wild boars or mustelids) and smokers.
As for the covid-19 vaccine to be administered, 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.