The 2022-23 influenza vaccination campaign in Andalusia is achieving, on these dates, similar dose administration figures compared to the previous campaign, when record figures were recorded. Today 65.5% of over 65s already have the vaccine against influenza at the Andalusian level. A figure that increases in the case of Andalusians over the age of 80, which exceeds 74%, indicates the Council in a statement, in which it adds that in the case of Granada, vaccination coverage reaches 62.9%.
“As we have warned, respiratory viruses, such as RSV and influenza, have advanced and are already circulating in Andalusia. As temperatures drop, the incidence is increasing. It is important that those over 65, children between 6 and 59 months, as well as the rest of the vulnerable groups – pregnant women, chronically ill or immunosuppressed, health and social care personnel – protect themselves with the flu vaccine ”, they assure from the Ministry of Health and Consumption in the statements sent in the same note.
Influenza vaccination coverage in people over 65 by province is currently 59.7% in Almería; 54.7% in Cádiz; 69.7% in Córdoba; 62.9% in Grenada; 61.2% in Huelva; 71.1% in Jaén; 53.1% in Malaga and 61% in Seville.
In the case of the childhood flu vaccine, for children between 6 and 59 months –4 years and 11 months–, the percentage stands at 33.2%. The flu vaccine for children is the main novelty that the Ministry of Health and Consumption has introduced, through the General Directorate of Public Health and Pharmaceutical Regulation, in the 2022-23 campaign.
It is worth noting the important role children play in the transmission of the flu virus to the rest of the population, with transmission to the most vulnerable population always being the most worrying. The child population is the age group that always has a higher incidence of flu, having had fewer contacts with the virus. The flu vaccine for children is particularly relevant in this campaign after two seasons with the important social distancing and personal protection measures that the population has followed, above all, the use of masks.
“We appeal to parents and guardians of children between 6 months and 4 years and 11 months to get them vaccinated. We are seeing an increase in the incidence of respiratory viruses. That is why we insist that children be vaccinated. The vaccine is safe and effective.
Regarding the second booster dose Covid, in people over the age of 60, coverage now stands at 48.7%; in people over 80, in 69.3%. “We appreciate the exercise of responsibility by all Andalusians who have protected themselves from the flu and Covid. SARS-CoV-2 is still with us, so we must continue to be cautious, with protective measures such as masks in situations that are still mandatory and when we feel we have respiratory symptoms, with a safe distance and hand washing,” they concluded.
