Immunisation will begin in the province, starting in nursing homes, on 16 October
For the first time, children between 6 months and 5 years of age will also be protected from flu.
This Autumn and Winter, the Ministry of Health is launching the largest vaccination campaign against flu and covid so far with the expansion of ‘at risk groups’ now including about 900,000 people across the province of Alicante alone.
It will be the first time that the age for double immunisation has been lowered to 60 years. Previously it was established for those over 65 years of age.
Also for the first time, healthy children from 6 to 59 months are also included, some 80,000 minors in the province. In this case it is only for the flu vaccination, due to the impact it has on this age group, given that they are, after the elderly, the ones who attract the largest hospital admissions due to flu. Until now it was only administered to children at that age with risk factors. In the age range between 2 and 4 years it will be inhaled for the first time, that is, intranasally, through the nose.
The communities of Galicia and Murcia both implemented it last year but in the rest of Spain this winter will be the first in which the campaign includes healthy children who do not have ‘at risk’ pathologies.
Public Health experts have also included a new risk group that will now be immunised against both viruses, flu and covid, these are smokers. This adds a further 316,000 people in a province that ranks fifth in the habit behind Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Seville.
Health has now purchased 1.3 million doses for the entire Community, trying to reach the largest number of population susceptible to immunisation who wish to receive it.
People belonging to the risk groups for which vaccination against covid-19 and flu is recommended will be able to request an appointment from the GVA +Salut APP and from the Ministry of Health website from the beginning of the campaign which gets underway on 16 October.
