In the current flu vaccination campaign in Galicia, two vaccines are administered: one with a standard dose and another with a booster dose – with a greater amount of antigen. The latter is administered to those over 80 years of age because it has been shown to be more effective in preventing complications in this age group. The Ministry of Health and the Health Research Institute of Santiago (IDIS) They want to check if the high dose also “has additional advantages” for people between 65 and 79 years old. Since both work – it has been proven, as well as their safety – a large sample is necessary so that the differences, if any, are well reflected. Hence, they have proposed one of the largest clinical trials with vaccines that have ever been carried out in Spain. The GalFlu–galflu.gal–.
Their aspiration is that around one in eight Galicians between the ages of 65 and 79, who are called upon to get vaccinated against the flu, decide to participate in this trial. That is, 60,000 of the 450,000 summoned. “The reception is being exceptional,” highlights its main researcher, Dr. Federico Martinón. “In 4 days since GalFlu started, more than 11,000 people have already participated in the study,” stands out. Ourense, Lugo and A Coruña lead the participation. Vigo, the largest health area next to Herculina, is in fifth place in the ranking.
There are only 1,145 people between 65 and 79 years old who have come to get vaccinated at Ifevi and, furthermore, they have decided to participate in the trial. Until yesterday, Sanidade had summoned 20,562 people included in this age group –specifically, septuagenarians– to the Vigo fairgrounds to be immunized against COVID and the flu. It is not known how many have attended. The Vigo Health Area refuses to report until the campaign for each population group ends. On Monday the sexagenarians begin.
In the same SMS as the vaccination appointment, each person also receives an invitation to participate in the trial. At the fairgrounds they offer it again. In the Ifevi there are four positions reserved for them, attended by personnel involved in the study. 50% of those who decide to collaborate will be injected with the conventional one – which is also administered to those who are not in the trial – and the other 50% will be injected with the reinforced one – which is given to those over 80 – at random. They will leave there knowing which one they have received. After signing the informed consent papers, you will not have to do anything else. Through your medical history, researchers will check if you suffer from serious complications derived from the flu – such as admissions. “It is a pragmatic clinical trial, with normal living conditions,” explains Martinón.
The Ifevi, a space for punctures and science
Immunization in vaccination centers makes the task of this macro-study easier due to the concentration of the target population in seven large enclosures. And yet, there are about two hundred researchers involved to cover all shifts. “The idea is to do it in two seasons, gathering one hundred thousand participants,” explains Dr. Martinón, although he details that if they achieved “sufficient power” in this first one – about 60,000 people – they could reduce the time.
Colas
The Ifevi fairgrounds yesterday, late in the morning, recorded long waits in queues for double vaccination. Attendees had to wait up to an hour to receive the jabs against COVID and the flu. It was the last day of the first round of the call for septuagenarians.
Tricks to rehabilitate your sense of smell
To cure laryngeal cancer, this organ is removed. After this, the patient breathes through a hole in the trachea and air stops passing through the nose and mouth. One of its consequences is that odor particles no longer pass through the sensory tissues responsible for smell – epithelium –. The meaning is affected, but the function is intact. The nursing team of the Otorhinolaryngology Hospitalization Unit organized a workshop with ten patients to teach them olfactory rehabilitation techniques with which to activate air flow. It was taught by speech therapist Raquel Rivera.
2023-11-02 05:08:18
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