The official end of the pandemic this year has brought with it important changes, and one of them – in this case not so positive – is the drop in the number of people in Malaga who are being vaccinated in this campaign against the two most common viral diseases. relevant to our environment: covid and flu.
According to official data from the Andalusian Health Service to which this newspaper has had access, not even one in four citizens over 60 years of age in the province has been inoculated with vaccines to combat both diseases. Specifically, 37 percent of this age group has visited the health center to get vaccinated against the flu, a figure that drops slightly in the case of covid. According to the person responsible for vaccination in Andalusia, David Moreno, the coronavirus data was already lower than that of the flu in 2022.
With these percentages on the table, it follows that said vaccination has fallen around five and a half points less than last year, reasons that Moreno attributes precisely to greater distance from the pandemic.
«In Andalusia, more than 1.2 million people have already been vaccinated. It is not that there is little vaccination, but it is true that if we compare it with last year, it is noticeable,” emphasizes Moreno, who also maintains that the loss of fear of covid causes “less interest” among the population in getting vaccinated.
Despite this, the person responsible for vaccination wanted to make a “call to the public”, because – especially the flu – “it is going to arrive.” In fact, he states that cases are already beginning to rise, and are expected to continue increasing in the coming weeks. “When the colder it gets, the worse it will be, because we start to be indoors, to which we have to add the long weekends, the Christmas celebrations… and clearly that’s when these diseases spike,” he recalls. .
Although this drop in vaccination is affecting the group of people over 60, in other areas the situation is quite similar to 2022. «It is true that young people with chronic pathologies are more or less getting vaccinated the same. “Children under five years old are also being inoculated with behavior similar to last year,” says Moreno, who once again insists on why vaccination is necessary for older children. «They are people who, due to their age, are more at risk. Clearly, they are the ones who are admitted the most for the flu every year; and the older you are, the greater the risk of complications upon admission, or of death. “That is why we make this call.”
Regarding the arrival of the peak of both diseases – especially the flu –, the person responsible for vaccines assures that we are close to a month. “At the end of December and beginning of January is when this peak usually arrives, which is why it is important to arrive protected for the holidays,” he added.
As has been done in recent years, vaccination against flu and Covid-19 will be done in a staggered manner. The campaign began in the first days of October, and affected people confined in residential centers for the elderly and disability centers; the general population aged 85 years or older; and the staff of health and social health centers, residences and disability centers. Added to them were students in internships from health and social health centers, residences and disability centers; and the child population between 6 and 59 months who attend vaccine appointments on the calendar.
After this first phase, starting on October 16, people over 70 years of age, the child population six months or older, and adults with risk pathologies, highly dependent people and their professional caregivers, as well as pregnant
The next step began on October 30. It was the turn of the double vaccination of those over 60 years of age; other professional groups, such as security forces, farm workers, ranchers or veterinarians; and staff of penitentiary institutions.
The last phase, which has already begun, affects those living in the home with people aged 60 or over or people at risk. To be vaccinated, you can book an appointment through the Salud Responde app or at the health center counter.
2023-11-26 23:43:29
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