Health Minister Julio García Comesaña today presented the joint vaccination campaign against influenza and Covid 19, which will start on September 25 next year and last until December 31. Health department heads attending the event were accompanied by Public Health Director Carmen Durán Parrondo.
Please note that the Public Health Commission of the Ministry of Health has established a temporary start window across the state from the last week of September to the entire month of October, and Galicia has chosen the first possible day to start, which is the 25th.
The Galician government has two flu vaccines. Quadruple pricing is a burden for the entire population under 80 years of age, and another high burden for people aged 80 and over and nursing home users over 60. It also has new vaccines against covid-19 that target circulating strains.
According to details from MPs and the Director-General, the vaccination campaign will be carried out at different vaccination sites and, like previous campaigns, will start in a sequential manner to prioritize the highest risk groups. Therefore, starting from the 25th of this month, specific teams will vaccinate people admitted in nursing homes and disability centers in their environment, offering vaccines against influenza and coronavirus.
For their part, primary care services (headquarters centres) will administer flu and Covid-19 vaccinations to people aged 80 and above, who will be proactively scheduled via text message. Likewise, people with reduced mobility who belong to the target group will be vaccinated at home.
Public hospitals will offer covid-19 and influenza vaccinations to high-risk groups.
In addition, large sites will be set up in health districts and regions throughout October to administer combined flu and Covid-19 vaccinations to people under 80 years of age. These people are also proactively summoned via text message.
Comesaña and Durán noted that the usual flu vaccination sites, such as health centers, hospitals, private centres, residential and mutual insurance companies, will only administer the flu vaccine. At this point, the patient will request an appointment at the appropriate time according to the established sequence.
respiratory syncytial virus immune activity
In addition, representatives of the Ministry of Health emphasized that Sunta will start an immunization campaign against respiratory syncytial virus on the 25th. This immunization is one of the main novelties of the new “Lifelong Immunization Programme” of the Galician vaccination programme. It is worth noting that Galicia was the first region in the world to declare immunity against RSV as part of the Galician vaccination program in 2023, a decision that was later followed by other autonomous regions.
Immunization against RSV involves administration of a monoclonal antibody (nirsevimab) under the following conditions:
– After the birth of a new baby. People born from September 25, 2023 and during the event will be vaccinated at the hospital within 24-48 hours after birth. Babies born since April 1, 2023 will be recaptured and they will be immunized during the first two weeks of October. They will be arranged via text message at the reference public hospital. Those who did not will be able to get vaccinated at the corresponding primary care service center during the last two weeks of October.
-Premature infants born from October 1, 2022. From September 25, 2023, they will be summoned from the health area of the reference public hospital.
– Children with high-risk diseases (congenital heart disease, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, etc.): as long as they are under 24 months of age, in addition to the dose in the first quarter, they will receive an additional dose in the second quarter. From September 25, 2023, they will be called from the health area of the reference public hospital.