When do flu and COVID vaccinations begin?

As fall approaches, COVID-19 cases continue to rise: Should seniors be worried?

Many people will be wondering when this year’s flu vaccination campaign will start, and this year it will also coincide with the Covid-19 vaccination campaign.precisely Public Health Committee this Tuesdaywhich includes representatives of all autonomous regions and the Ministry of Health, Criteria to be updated for next flu and Covid-19 vaccination campaigns 2023-2024 season.

The vaccination campaign is expected to begin in October, That’s if nothing changes after this Tuesday’s meeting, according to a document approved by the National Health Commission last July.Of course, the Ministry of Health clearly stated Dates may be adjusted based on vaccine availability and the calendar of the autonomous region. This will be the second dual vaccination campaign and the first using the Spanish formula developed by Hipra and approved last April.

at present, The autonomous regions of Cantabria, Valencia, Galicia and Madrid have announced that they are finalizing their organizations. Under the new current vaccination plan, this fall CCAA will begin vaccinating children 6 to 59 months old against influenza and may include vaccinating infants as young as 6 months against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a virus that can Causes bronchiolitis and pneumonia. .

Elderly people are targeted in vaccination campaigns

The document approved by the Ministry of Health this summer also takes into account the current epidemiological situation of Covid-19 and identifies the “target population” groups that should be prioritized for these vaccines, emphasizing those over 60 or those with “risk conditions”. Or pregnant, etc. Therefore it is stipulated that “Nursing homes and other centers that provide care for people with disabilities and those aged 80 and older may be prioritized for vaccinations. Health and social hygiene staff may also be prioritized for vaccination due to the “strategic importance” they play,” the text states.

It also states that “vaccination will continue until the end of the season. A dose of vaccine against Covid-19 can be given outside the vaccination campaign to people who request it after an individualized assessment. In these cases, the interval (at least 5 months) from the previous dose or infection must be taken into account”, concluded the Inter-territorial Committee. However, experts agree that booster vaccines should not be administered to the entire population, but only to Booster vaccines for the most commonly vaccinated groups. Vulnerability, detailed analysis of each case.

Who is the vaccine for?

for him Increased risk of complications or serious illness Health authorities recommend getting vaccinated if you have the flu or Covid-19 infection Persons aged 60 or above also to people sanitarium inmates and centers for people with disabilities, as well as other long-term residents and residents of closed institutions.

For people under 60 years of age with at-risk conditions, public health recommends vaccination for: “diabetes and Cushing’s syndrome, morbidly obesechronic cardiovascular, neurological or respiratory diseases, including bronchopulmonary dysplasia, cystic fibrosis and asthma, chronic kidney disease and nephrotic syndrome, hemoglobinopathies and anemia or hemophilia, other coagulation disorders and chronic bleeding disorders, as well as recipients of blood products and multiple transfusions, asplenia or severe splenic dysfunction, chronic liver diseaseincluding chronic alcoholism and severe neuromuscular disorders,” the document lists.

Also includes Immunosuppression, cancer and hematological malignancies, cerebrospinal fluid fistulas and cochlear implants or waiting, celiac disease, chronic inflammatory diseases, and conditions and diseases that lead to cognitive impairment.at the end of this list Pregnant women are also recommended to be vaccinated “Women in any trimester of pregnancy and the puerperium (up to 6 months postpartum and not vaccinated during pregnancy) and People who live with someone who is highly immunosuppressed.

Epidemiologist calls for latest vaccine

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) both recommend vaccines for the next season 2023-2024 Unit price and XBB sub-variant

omicron strains, preferably XBB.1.5, Ensures protection against circulating strains. However, so far, no vaccine that meets these requirements has been approved.

Experts such as Salvador Peiró, an epidemiologist and researcher at the Foundation for the Promotion of Community Health and Biomedical Research in Valencia, agree (@GVAfisabio) Who recommends Immunize risk groups “if possible” with a monovalent vaccine against XBB (the currently circulating variant) Already put into production. “If hospitalizations increase significantly before these new vaccines become available, it may be necessary to use stockpiled vaccines prepared against the original virus and omicron variants,” he acknowledged.