The Need to Combine Flu and COVID-19 Vaccination Campaigns for Elderly and High-Risk Individuals

You still cannot get the flu vaccine and the corona shot at the same time. This makes it unnecessarily difficult for people over 60 and people in a risk group, according to virologist Bert Niesters (UMCG) and northern general practitioners.

Bert Niesters is 65 years old and so he will soon receive an invitation for the flu shot. The letter comes from his doctor, who will also administer the injection. Within a few weeks he will also receive a letter from the GGD, stating how he can make an appointment to get a repeat shot against corona. Like Niesters, there are hundreds of thousands of residents of Groningen and Drenthe who are 60 years or older or fall into a risk group and are therefore eligible for vaccines against both corona and influenza this fall.

While in other countries you have been able to get both shots in one go for years, in the Netherlands we still have to go to different counters. “Pity, annoying and irritating,” virologist Niesters (UMCG) summarizes his opinion about the vaccination campaigns. It can be much simpler, he emphasizes: “Most people have two arms, so you put one vaccine in one arm and the other vaccine in the other.”

Lose enthusiasm

From a public health perspective, it would also be wise to combine the campaigns, says Niesters. “If you have to show up twice, you irrevocably lose enthusiasm,” says the virologist. “Some will get one injection, but leave the other one because it is too much hassle. Just see how you can make it most easy for the customer. This gives you the best results.”

The flu shot has been administered by the GP for many years. When the pandemic started, the corona vaccination was delegated to the GGD. The target groups for both vaccines are now so similar that combining both campaigns makes sense.

“We as general practitioners in Drenthe have proposed combining it,” says director Jan Schaart of Dokter Drenthe. According to Schaart, many Drenthe GPs are prepared to give the corona shot in addition to the flu shot. But this faces practical objections. One of these is the 15-minute rule: that after the corona shot you have to wait on site for another fifteen minutes before you can leave. “If you stick to that rule, you need a very large space and we as general practitioners cannot organize that,” says Schaart. Other countries do not apply that rule. Schaart: “But RIVM prefers not to take any risks.” Like virologist Niesters, Schaart also believes that the injection campaigns could be much more convenient: “That should be arranged for the coming years.”

Patchwork

It is not that simple, emphasizes Harmen Wygchel of the RIVM. He mentions, among other things, that the target groups for both campaigns do not completely match, that general practitioners distribute the invitation for the flu shot and that they do not have the capacity to take the repeat shot for corona.

“Ultimately, we will move towards more synergy between both vaccination campaigns,” Wygchel predicts. But when and how? The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport also sees that vaccination care in the Netherlands is too much of a patchwork and wants to centralize implementation more. According to the ministry, the GGDs are ‘a logical party’ for this, but it is not yet certain whether this also applies to the flu shot.

Who is eligible for a flu shot and who for a repeat corona shot?

Millions of Dutch people will receive an invitation from their GP to get a flu shot in the coming weeks. This concerns everyone aged 60 and over and all people in a medical risk group, such as lung patients, seriously overweight people and patients with little immune system. Exactly the same groups (plus healthcare workers with direct patient contact) can also get a repeat shot against corona from the GGD this fall. People over 60 will receive a letter for this, while the other groups can make an appointment themselves from October 16 via planjeprik.nl.

2023-09-16 03:59:00
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