Covid or flu: The vaccination campaign and the third dose

If something brings us the month of October, in addition to a drop in temperatures and the first colds, it is the flu vaccine. Each year, either by mid-month,

Covid or flu: The vaccination campaign and the third dose

If something brings us the month of October, in addition to a drop in temperatures and the first colds, it is the flu vaccine. Each year, either by mid-month, a campaign starts to protect the health of population groups most vulnerable or exposed to this old acquaintance. A virus that, only in the 2019-2020 season, took the lives of 3,900 people in our country and forced almost thirty thousand patients to enter a hospital.

Last autumn, with the threat of a new wave caused by the coronavirus and still without vaccines against him, we live a campaign of completely atypical flu vaccination. This year, with the third doses planning and the scarce influenza influenza data last, the vaccination campaign does not seem that it will be like those before the pandemic.

In the second half of October. We have no exact date at the moment, because it is conditioned by the supply of vaccines from the laboratories, but the Autonomous Communities coincide in that they will not delay their start and last until the end of December.

Wait at the end of the campaign "in case the vaccine is bad" is something that has more myth than reality, and it does not make sense to wait for the month of December to vaccinate if we can do it before.

Since they put us the vaccine, this takes a few days to make its effect so that we develop protection against virus and December is usually a month with a high incidence of flu cases. So wait for the last days of the campaign to get vaccinated, if there is no medical motive that prevents it, it is risking too much.

The season 2020-2021 will go down in history as in which there were hardly any cases of flu in Spain, something totally unusual that we probably do not live again and that it had its origin in the high vaccination rate and prevention measures against coronavirus : Limitation of social contacts, use of mask, ventilation ...

This winter, with almost non-existent anticovid measures and a sensation of general relaxation, is to be expected that the flu becomes more aggressive and therefore vaccination is of great importance at the level of prevention.

Last season we had many letters with which to defeat the flu, but this year we played everything to a single letter.

It is very likely that it happens. In the highest residences, the third dose of reinforcement against Coronavirus is already being administered, but in the second half of October it is very likely that this third dose is being administered in immunosuppressed people or even the first or second dose in certain sectors of population.

Today, science does not have a clear response about it, since there are limited data on the joint administration of the Vaccine against VOCID19 with other vaccines.

While a good part of researchers aim that doing so is safe and do not increase side effects, therefore, as safe today and with the data we have would be to wait a week between a vaccine and the other and receive the punctures in Different areas.

Today we do not have any vaccine that combines the flu virus with the coronavirus, which would be the Vaccine Covid19-Influenza. But companies like modern, Novavax or Vivaldi are working on a new vaccine that does combine both viruses. Something that certainly is appreciated, since nobody wants to take two punctures if one can take one alone.

The United States approved the third dose for its entire population over 65 following the recommendation of the FDA.

In Europe neighboring countries such as France also offer it all over 65, while in the United Kingdom, only those over 70 years of age are administered.

In Spain they will receive the third dose over 70 years (as of October 25), those over 65 (as of November) and the most vulnerable groups.

Date Of Update: 15 October 2021, 16:13