THE ESSENTIAL
- All flu surveillance indicators were increasing during the week of November 18, with three regions (Ile-de-France, Normandy and Hauts-de-France) in pre-epidemic.
- Faced with this observation, health authorities are calling on the population to be vaccinated against flu and covid-19.
- These vaccines take around 15 days to be effective. To be protected during the holiday season, don’t wait to get vaccinated.
During the week of November 18, 2024, flu indicators showed signs of progression both in cities and in hospitals, especially in the Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France and Normandy regions. Faced with this observation, the Ministry of Health and Access to Care, Health Insurance and Public Health France are calling on the population to be vaccinated against the flu as well as Covid-19 to protect the most fragile and vulnerable people. those with whom they are in contact.
Flu, covid: to be protected during the holidays, don’t wait to get vaccinated
If the flu indicators are still at “their base level”, the weekly report from Public Health France published on November 27, 2024 shows that the disease is progressing and calls for caution.
“Given the winter period, the epidemic dynamics of respiratory viruses is likely to accelerate rapidly in the coming weeks and requires preparation, warns the press release from the Ministry of Health. Thus, the end of year celebrations As the year approaches, health authorities are calling for increased mobilization of citizens and health professionals to vaccinate the most vulnerable people against seasonal flu and Covid-19.”
Health authorities point out that it is possible to be vaccinated at the same time against influenza and SARS-CoV-2 which are still circulating in France. They add that there is “no minimum time to be respected between the two vaccinations if they cannot be carried out concomitantly”. The injections which help prevent severe forms of these diseases can be administered by a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or midwife.
The vaccine against seasonal flu or Covid-19 takes around 15 days to be effective. Health Insurance therefore specifies that to be protected during the end-of-year holidays, you must not wait to be vaccinated.
Vaccination against influenza and covid-19: who are the people concerned?
Vaccination against influenza and Covid-19 is 100% covered for people at risk and people in their contact. To benefit from it, simply present your Vitale card and the Health Insurance voucher. The people affected by the vaccination campaign are:
Against the flu:
- all people aged 65 and over;
- patients, aged 6 months or more, with comorbidities having a higher risk of serious form of the disease such as chronic heart, vascular, hepatic, renal, pulmonary diseases, diabetes, obesity, cancers, people who have undergone a transplant solid organ or hematopoietic stem cells;
- immunocompromised people;
- pregnant women;
- residents in accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people (EHPAD) and long-term care units (USLD) as well as residents in establishments for people with disabilities;
- people at very high risk of serious illness according to each individual medical situation and as part of a decision shared with the healthcare teams;
- individuals living in close proximity to or in regular contact with immunocompromised or vulnerable people, including professionals in the health and medico-social sectors;
- professionals exposed to swine and avian influenza viruses.
Against Covid-19:
- all people eligible for flu vaccination, plus those with Down syndrome, psychiatric disorders or dementia;
- These populations are eligible from 6 months after their last infection or injection of vaccine against Covid-19. This period is reduced to 3 months for immunocompromised people and people aged 80 or over, due to their immune deficiency, responsible for a lower rate and a more rapid decline of neutralizing antibodies;
- anyone wishing to be vaccinated, even if they are not part of the target, can receive an injection against Covid-19.
“Vaccination of the most vulnerable is the most effective way to prevent the serious forms that influenza and Covid-19 can cause. I strongly encourage the 17.2 million people invited to be vaccinated to contact their pharmacist , nurse, doctor or midwife to carry out this simple and useful gesture for everyone”, adds Geneviève Darrieussecq, Minister of Health and Access to Care in the press release.
