Town pharmacists asked this Wednesday, September 9 to be able to vaccinate all adults against influenza, in order to improve vaccination coverage during this period of the Covid-19 pandemic, if stocks allow.
« We want to expand immunization (from influenza) adults, even those who are not in the target “, said the president of the Union of Unions of Community Pharmacists (USPO) at a press conference this Wednesday, September 9.
The flu vaccination campaign primarily targets people who are vulnerable to the virus: over 65, people with chronic illness (diabetes, heart or respiratory failure, etc.) or severe obesity and pregnant women.
All eligible adults can withdraw the vaccine at the pharmacy on presentation of their health insurance voucher and be vaccinated as desired by a doctor, nurse, midwife or volunteer pharmacist.
“If we combine the flu and Covid, it’s panic”
Seasonal flu affects 2 to 6 million people each year. It causes tens of thousands of emergency room visits and kills 10,000 on average. “If we combine flu and Covid, it’s the panic “, warned Gilles Bonnefond, the president of the Union of unions of ex officio pharmacists.
According to him, the public authorities are reluctant to extend their vaccination authorization to the entire adult population for fear of shortages but “Manufacturers have put around 20% more doses on the French market, that’s a lot”, he assures.
The USPO proposes to count the doses available in mid-November to see if it is possible “To increase vaccination coverage ».
Pharmacists offer to test
Adults who are not at risk of complications “Go see their mum and dad in nursing homes, rub shoulders with fragile people. If they protect themselves, they protect their families ”, hammered Gilles Bonnefond. “But for these people who are in great shape, things have to go fast. They don’t want to spend 2 hours at the doctor to get vaccinated ”, he adds.
The USPO also wants “Go further on Covid tests”. To relieve congestion in medical biology laboratories, Gilles Bonnefond suggests that “The pharmaceutical network contributes to meeting needs” if screening tests are done “With a simpler debit”, for example salivary, and if the result can be obtained by “An easy method that does not require having a robot, having a whole series of equipment”.
– .
