Published21. October 2024, 7:05 p.m.
Health: In Luxembourg, no alternative yet to the double flu-Covid vaccine
LUXEMBOURG – A campaign to prevent respiratory infections during the winter period was launched on Monday. But the possibilities for vaccination regarding influenza and Covid have changed little.
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Thomas Holzer
Vulnerable people are urged to be vaccinated against flu and Covid-19.
Alain Rischard
Despite the Indian summer which is currently delighting Luxembourg, it is time to anticipate respiratory infections. Conducive to viruses, the winter season will be, as usual, marked by the return of the flu and probably by an increase in Covid-19 and bronchiolitis.
In this context, the Ministry of Health has just launched a new awareness campaign, calling in particular for the wearing of masks and the limitation of contacts in the event of illness, while recalling that vaccination accompanied by barrier gestures “remains one the simplest and most effective solutions to protect yourself (…) and reduce the spread.
According to the information transmitted to The essentialsflu vaccines have already been ordered by pharmacies from wholesalers. On the other hand, the idea of a combined influenza-Covid vaccine has not yet come to fruition. Highly awaited by the medical world, this perspective faces difficulties in laboratories developing it. Pfizer and BioNTech’s latest candidate has not proven effective against influenza while US health authorities halted the Novavax trial for security reasons.
Nasal spray unavailable in Luxembourg
Validated in the United States, self-administered nasal spray as a flu vaccine is also not available in the Grand Duchy. “On the other hand, it is possible to be vaccinated on the same day against flu and Covid (two injections, one in each arm),” the Luxembourg Health Department tells us.
In its press release released Monday, the government further specifies that vaccination for pregnant women has been available since the end of this summer to protect their future child from the bronchiolitis virus during the first months. “This strengthens the immunity of the newborn (…) For infants whose mothers have not been vaccinated, preventive treatment by intramuscular injection remains available,” he concludes.
