From October 1, everyone can pick up the flu vaccine at the pharmacy.

For the coming flu season, our country has provided 3.78 million flu vaccines, 840,000 more than last season. Thus, no shortage of flu vaccines is expected and, unlike last year, there is no phased vaccination campaign.

From 1 October, anyone can pick up a flu vaccine from pharmacies without a prescription. Those who belong to one of the risk groups, as determined by the Superior Health Council and the RIZIV/INAMI, will also largely be reimbursed for the vaccine. This includes people over 65, patients with an underlying chronic condition, people with a BMI over 35, people who work in the health sector and pregnant women.

From October 15, the actual period starts to have you vaccinated against the flu by the doctor. The public awareness campaign by the government and the pharmacists’ associations will also start on that day.

The aim of this measure is to increase the vaccination coverage by making it easier to collect a flu vaccine. “The trajectory for the patient has been shortened”, says Koen Straetmans, chairman of the General Pharmaceutical Association (APB). “In the past, the patient first had to go to the doctor to get a prescription, and then pick up the vaccine from the pharmacist.” Afterwards, the patient had to go to the GP again to have an injection. Now that first step has been omitted, the patient can immediately go to the pharmacy to pick up the flu vaccine. “That makes it easier for patients to get vaccinated,” says Straetmans.

According to experts worldwide, next winter threatens to be a flu winter, APB says. Due to the lockdown and all the corona measures, we did not have a flu season last year. As a result, we have produced fewer antibodies against the virus and more people could be susceptible to the flu in the coming flu season.

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