The seasonal vaccination campaign for the autumn-winter season 2024-2025 it has already started. This week, the Minister of Health, Mónica García, presented the campaign in which it is expected to achieve coverage of up to 75% for people over 65 years of age and 60% for people at risk. Thus, people who need to be vaccinated with both the gripe as of COVID (not all people have to be vaccinated) they can now go to their health center, according to the actions and protocol of each autonomous community.
“Vaccination is the most effective measure to prevent complications and hospitalizations from infections that are transmitted via the respiratory tract such as flu and Covid,” Dr. Ana Pilar Javierre Miranda, doctor specializing in Family and Community Medicine and coordinator of the infectious disease prevention group of the PAPPS of the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (semFYC).
For this reason, the doctor adds, “the population must be vaccinated to avoid infections and complications as much as possible, and also avoid overloading the health system.” Vaccination has been shown to reduce mortality and hospital admissions for these diseases, but also, the greater the vaccination coverage, the less circulation of the virus.
As we see every year with the flu virus and since 2020, with the COVID virus (SARS-CoV-2), an infection by one of these viruses, can be complicated by pneumoniathat requirehospitalizationso “the main objective of vaccination against influenza and COVID-19 is to protect the most vulnerable people to reduce morbidity and mortality, as well as reduce the impact of these infections on the capacity of health and social health care.”
Vaccination against flu and COVID reduces mortality
Some data have indeed shown that Vaccines reduce mortality and hospital admissions for these diseases especially in people over 60 years of age and even more so in those over 75 years of age, who account for 51% of flu hospitalizations. For its part, 74% of COVID hospitalizations occur in people 70 years of age and older.
Vaccines against flu and COVID reduce mortality and hospital admissions for these diseases, especially in people over 60 years of age and even more so in those over 75 years of age.
On the one hand, regarding the COVIDexplains the doctor, “a recent publication has estimated that the number of lives saved through COVID vaccination programs in the WHO European region between December 2020 and March 2023 rises to 1.6 million people aged 25 years or older. , with 96% of lives saved in people over 60 years of age and 52% in people over 80 years of age. Overall, there was a 59% reduction in overall mortality.
On the other hand, and regarding the gripe“another study published a year ago, in relation to the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in Europe, concluded that the effectiveness of the vaccine was greater among children, with point estimates greater than 50%.”
In addition -continues the doctor- and taking into account the latest weekly epidemiological report of the Community of Madrid of 1/10/2024, with data accumulated until week 39 of 2024, “of those admitted for flu between 65 and 79 years old, 63.6 “% were not vaccinated; and of those over 80 years of age, almost half were not vaccinated either.”
Not everyone should get the flu and COVID vaccine: these are the people who do
Not all people have to be vaccinated against both viruses since taking into account the current epidemiological situation, vaccination against flu and Covid is not justified, although “vaccination can be assessed individually once the vaccination of the prioritized groups is completed.” , explains the semFYC doctor.
Next, the doctor explains all the people and risk groups for whom these vaccines are recommended.
1. Vaccination against both viruses: flu and COVID
Vaccination of both viruses is recommended for the following group due to the greater risk of complications or severe symptoms:
- People 60 years of age or older.
- People aged 5 years or older in disability centers, nursing homes, and residents in closed institutions.
- People from 12 years of age with the following risk conditions: diabetes mellitus and Cushing’s syndrome, morbid obesity, chronic cardiovascular, neurological or respiratory diseases, including bronchopulmonary dysplasia, cystic fibrosis and asthma, chronic kidney disease and nephrotic syndrome, hemoglobinopathies and anemias or hemophilia, other coagulation disorders and chronic bleeding disorders, as well as recipients of blood products and multiple transfusions, asplenia or severe splenic dysfunction, chronic liver disease, including chronic alcoholism, severe neuromuscular diseases, immunosuppression (including primary immunodeficiencies and caused by HIV infection or drugs, as well as in transplant recipients and complement deficiency), cancer and malignant blood diseases, chronic inflammatory disease and disorders and diseases that entail cognitive dysfunction.
- Pregnant women in any trimester of pregnancy and women during the postpartum period (up to 6 months after giving birth and who have not been vaccinated during pregnancy).
- People living with those who have a high degree of immunosuppression.
And to the following groups to reduce the impact and maintain critical and essential community services:
- Staff of public and private health and social health centers and establishments.
- People who work in essential public services, with special emphasis on the following subgroups: State security forces and bodies, with national, regional or local dependence, as well as the Armed Forces, Firefighters and civil protection services.
2. Vaccination only against COVID
- In children between 6 months and 12 years in situations of increased risk of serious illness and their cohabitants: transplant recipients, immunodeficiencies, immunosuppressive therapies including oncological and severe chronic cardiovascular, severe chronic respiratory and severe neurological diseases.
3. Vaccination only against flu
- Children from 6 to 59 months of age.
- People at increased risk of flu complications: children ages 5 to 12 with risk conditions; people from 5 to 18 years old on chronic treatment with acetylsalicylic acid; smokers; people with celiac disease; people with cerebrospinal fluid fistula and people with a cochlear implant or waiting for one.
- Students in internships in health and social health centers.
- Staff at daycare centers and early childhood education centers for children under 5 years of age.
- People with occupational risk due to being exposed to animals or their secretions on poultry, swine, mink and wildlife farms or farms.
On this page of Ministry of HealthLet’s find all the necessary information corresponding to flu and COVID vaccines.
