“Family Vaccination Center: All You Need to Know About Immunizations in Argentina”

The supervisor of the Family Vaccination Center, Sandra Ibanezprovided details on the operation of the service that works from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and alternate Saturdays according to ministerial provision at Avenida Mate de Luna 1901.

Ibáñez highlighted that, in the Family Vaccination Center of the Ministry of Public Health, in charge of the Luis Medina Ruiz, they are currently applying not only vaccines against Covid, but all calendar immunizations: “We have a group of children who, when parents cannot bring them during the week to be vaccinated because they work, have the possibility of receiving coverage on Saturday, which work. We usually have a lot of people in the afternoon, after 2:00 p.m., since it is usually the time when parents take a break from their jobs”.

Following this line, Ibáñez commented that the Vaccination teams, specifically the members of the Vaccination Brigade, also have field trips as their task: “Today they are working with people in the Confinement Context Program, together with their reference doctor Valeria Reynaga. This is a program that has been operating for years under the coordination of the Ministry of Public Health, through which all police stations and prisons are visited with vaccines for inmates, both Covid and the national calendar -hepatitis B, anti-tetanus, among others-, that is to say that they are also working to protect these populations with the full range of immunizations that we have”.

In this sense, the referent emphasized that the national calendar is one of the best in all of America, since we have vaccines from the beginning of life to the elderly, for which she urged to take advantage of them since they are totally free. “Today they are working at the First Police Station and they are going to a sector scheduled with the Ministry of Social Development, since there are captive communities that must also be vaccinated and protected; At the same time, we also have the 1000 Day Trailer Operation, where the pregnant woman is assisted, ”she said.

The Family Vaccination Center is currently placing between 500 and 700 daily doses, depending on the places you visit. “There are places that we have with a lot of demand from people and others where they are not. In terms of calendar vaccines, between 100 and 150 per day are given -among those that correspond to children of two months, six months and the rest of the calendar- and with children in particular we take our space because they require more time to be vaccinated since there are several vaccines that are placed on them, ”he clarified.

Regarding the requirements to be vaccinated at the Family Vaccination Center, Ibáñez stressed the importance of bringing the DNI and, if possible, carrying the vaccination card so that the staff can verify and record which vaccines are applied at the moment: “More Beyond the fact that the digital card already exists and that everything is recorded, it is important that the mother attend as far as possible with the child’s card and with her document. Just like adults.”

“We are placing vaccines in public and private centers. Interested parties must present the request note to the Immunization Division or the Ministry of Public Health and later by telephone it is coordinated to visit them. Also according to the season, if the areas require our help for the campaigns, we collaborate, as well as with the operations”, he maintained while encouraging those people who are entitled to the flu vaccine – over 65 and those from 3 to 64 years old with some medical indication- to attend to receive the dose, as well as Covid reinforcements.

Ibáñez emphasized the importance of becoming aware and not neglecting the fundamentals of vaccine coverage: “Let’s not forget that, although at this time we are all calm, we went through hard years of pandemic and that if today we are comfortable and without a mask it is for and thanks to the vaccine. Vaccines save lives, they are one of the first actions that health has to work with our community, that we are all vaccinated with all vaccines, with tetanus, with anti-hepatitis B that prevents us from liver cancer, allows us to be calm and cutlery”.

“11-year-old girls and boys must complete the HPV vaccine scheme, which prevents cervical cancer that year after year claims many lives for not having had this vaccine. Today we have it available to prevent this disease; Another service that is provided from here is vaccination at home to complete the Covid schemes in patients with home hospitalization and self-validates who have already applied the first doses ”, she concluded.