Andalucia Health Ministry admits shortfall of winter flu vaccines

The Andalucian Health Ministry has admitted there is a shortfall of flu vaccines for this winter.
Andalucia has not purchased enough flu vaccines to cover even last years total of inoculations. According to a report from Europa Sur, The Ministry of Health for Andalucia expects a smoother vaccination campaign against the flu than last year. The number of doses purchased for the 2021-2022 campaign, which begins on October 14, is insufficient to cover the vaccinated population and falls far short of the actual amount required.
Less doses
The health administration has reportedly purchased 1,645,000 doses this year; the previous year the vaccine was administered to 1,882,415 people. If the demand were the same, there would be some 237,000 Andalucians who could not be vaccinated.
This data is striking since virology specialists predict that, unlike last year, the circulation of the influenza virus will be greater this season as a result of the weakening of SARS-CoV-2. Last year, the incidence of influenza was residual and much lower worldwide.
The Strategic Plan for the 2021-2022 flu vaccination campaign, which was presented on Tuesday, October 5, by the Minister of Health at the Governing Council meeting, does not include this year, as it did in the past, a batch of vaccines from the Ministry of Health totalling 663,820 doses.
This amount was an essential reinforcement to cover the demand, which exceeded the figure of 1,660,000 doses now purchased by the Board. That number instead was, however, much lower at just 15,000 more injections than those acquired this year.
Lack of availability
The availability of doses in the international market, according to the technicians from the Ministry of Health in the vaccination plan, is ” increasingly limited ” because of the “high competition between countries.”
Asked about the price of the three batches of vaccines purchased in this context of “high competition”, Salud refused to provide any data on the cost of the flu vaccine campaign in Andalucia.
The flu vaccination campaign begins on Wednesday, October 14, with the administration of the drug to residents of nursing homes, people who attend centres for the disabled and care for the chronically ill and, thirdly, to staff and trainees from health and social health centres, as well as pharmacies.

In the second stage, on October 18, the vaccination campaign will begin for people over 65, people with chronic diseases – diabetics or HIV carriers, for example – and pregnant women.

From November 2, members of essential groups – policemen, firefighters, emergency workers, among others – will be able to get vaccinated. Finally, in December, caregivers living with people over 65 or living with chronically ill and pregnant women will choose to receive the vaccine if they wish to do so.

The nurses of the Andalucian Health Service will administer the additional dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 together with the dose of the flu, “in the same vaccination act”, the text of the vaccination plan refers, “if indicated”. This will be the case for residents in nursing homes and those over 70 years of age, among other inhabitants with weakened immune systems.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.