The Valencia region begins a combined Covid 19 and flu immunisation campaign on Monday.
According to the Minister of Health, Marciano Gómez, the objective of this campaign is “to protect the most vulnerable population, who may suffer complications as a result of their personal situation.” The head of Health has highlighted that, “given the coincidence of a significant part of the target population to which vaccination against flu and vaccination against COVID-19 are directed, a joint vaccination campaign has been proposed”.
Specifically, in the 2023-2024 season, the objectives for vaccination against influenza and COVID-19 are to achieve or exceed vaccination coverage of 75% in those over 65 years of age and in health and social health personnel, as well as exceed the 60% in pregnant women and people with other risk conditions. “This involves the immunization of more than 1,350,000 people and the administration of more than 2 million doses of vaccines in 2,683 vaccination points, of which 417 are residences,” highlighted Marciano Gómez.
The administration of joint vaccination against influenza and COVID-19 is recommended for people aged 60 years or older, as well as people aged 5 years or older cared for in centres for functional diversity and other long-term institutionalised people and residents in closed institutions.
Likewise, joint administration is also recommended for people under 60 years of age with risk pathologies; pregnant women in any trimester of pregnancy and women during the postpartum period; people living with those who have a high degree of immunosuppression; staff of public and private health and social health centres and establishments; and professionals who work in essential public services (State Security Forces and Corps, firefighters, civil protection and personnel who work in health emergency services).
Vaccination will be prioritized for residents in centres for the elderly and those with functional diversity; population aged 80 and over; health and social health personnel; people between 60 and 79 years old and other risk groups.
Vaccination against COVID-19 and the flu of residents and workers has begun in the residential centres by health professionals from the centre itself, with the support of staff from the Department of Health when necessary.
For their part, people aged 80 or older will be vaccinated at the health centre, coinciding with the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine dose.
In this sense, citizens belonging to the risk groups for which vaccination against Covid-19 and the flu is indicated, can request an appointment from the Gva +Salut APP and from the Conselleria de Sanitat website.
Regarding the vaccination of pregnant women, routine pregnancy check-ups will be used to administer the vaccine in health centres.
As for health personnel dependent on the Ministry of Health, they will be vaccinated by occupational risk prevention and/or preventive medicine services. In primary care, the centre staff will carry out the vaccination.
This year this campaign includes, as a novelty, the administration of the vaccine among Valencians over 60 years of age, instead of the 65 years that were established until now. Another novelty is that it includes healthy children under five years of age (between 6 and 59 months), in order to immunize the greatest number of citizens and prevent infections.
Children between 6 and 59 months of age without pathology will be vaccinated against influenza at any time from the beginning of the vaccination campaign without interfering with the vaccination of the rest of the groups.
Likewise, as the Minister of Health already announced, another novelty of the campaign for this 2023-2024 season is that for the first time an attenuated intranasal vaccine will be used in children between 2 and 4 years old in the Valencian Community. which offers greater protection against influenza virus infection, is easier to administer and less aggressive in avoiding the needle.
It is also planned to vaccinate against influenza for people between 5 and 59 years of age who have a higher risk of complications derived from influenza, such as: people between 5 and 18 years of age who receive long-term treatment with acetylsalicylic acid, due to the risk of developing Reye syndrome; people with direct occupational exposure to animals or their secretions on poultry, swine or mink farms or farms or to wildlife (birds, wild boars or mustelids); and smokers.
Regarding the COVID-19 vaccine that will be administered, it is the one recommended as optimal by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). This is the mRNA vaccine obtained from the Omicron XBB.1.5 strain.
