Francisco Álvarez is a pediatrician from Llanera (Asturias) and a member of the Vaccine Advisory Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics and Asturias answer key questions about the vaccination campaign. touch get vaccinated against covid and influence at the same time? all? Here are the doctor’s answers.
-Who should be vaccinated without doubting the flu?
– The so-called risk groups: over 6 months of age who have a disease that can be complicated by the flu, such as respiratory, cardiac, diabetic, etc., and also those over the age of 60-65 years. The Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) recommends vaccination of all healthy children aged 6 to 60 months and this year Andalusia, Galicia and Murcia will do it.
–Is it also recommended for children?
-Yup. In the AEP we hoped that this year they would be included as an extra risk group because in this way the coverage (vaccinated children) would have been greater, but it was not possible and for now only those 3 communities will. In the rest of the ages, the flu shot, even if healthy, is recommended because we avoid contracting the disease which is sometimes complicated.
– Does the disease prevent us one hundred percent?
–There is no vaccine that does this, but the protection against flu complications is very high: over 65% and 80%.
-Does the flu vaccine help avoid covid or mitigate its effects?
-No. But avoid suffering from the flu, because if the covid bounces it can complicate health care a lot.
– Is it okay to have the flu vaccine and covid at the same time?
– They can and must be positioned at the same time because we avoid an extra visit by the patient. It no longer produces side effects.
–Vaccinating for a year makes it necessary to do the following?
–Every year the virus changes and therefore you should be vaccinated every year with the vaccine stipulated by the WHO.
–How virulent is the influenza virus predicted this year?
–It is an exercise in hypothesis, some experts believe it may be more serious as he has been numb for the last 2 years, but nobody knows and to avoid making this assumption it is better to get vaccinated.
– When is it better to get vaccinated, at the beginning of the campaign or at the end?
–When established by the health authorities, which is usually in late October or early November, although you can be vaccinated throughout the flu season.
Related news
–
