Amid a pandemic Corona Virus With part of the attention focused on immunization against COVID-19, the national influenza virus vaccination campaign, from ache, Will start on April 12th through SUS. The Ministry of Health goal is to immunize 79.7 million people from priority groups by 9 July.
In the private network, the vaccine has become available since the end of March in most vaccination clinics, according to the Brazilian Association of Vaccine Clinics (ABCVAC). The application is submitted to everyone from six months of age, if there are no medical contraindications. The SUS schedule will consist of three phases.
See below campaign questions and answers:
Who can actually get a flu shot?
Children between the ages of six months and six years, pregnant women, postpartum women, indigenous people and health workers will be the first to be vaccinated.
As of May 11, it will be Seniors and Teachers over 60 years old.
On June 9, the vaccine will be applied to people with comorbidities and disabilities, truck drivers, port workers and public transport, professionals in the armed, security and rescue forces, people deprived of their freedom and youth under social and educational measures.
Why should I receive the flu vaccination?
At a time when the health system is under pressure due to the high demand for cases of coronavirus and acute respiratory syndrome, specialists are advising vaccination against influenza to prevent an increase in the number of hospitalizations.
By getting vaccinated, you avoid complications from the flu and the opportunity to come and go to hospitals, at a time when the health system is overburdened and overworked.
“Imagine we have already started the season with full hospitals,” says Giraldo Barbosa, president of the Brazilian Association of Vaccine Clinics. “If they still have to deal with more hospitalizations (due to flu complications), it will be more complicated.” (ABCVAC).
Where can I get the flu shot?
In the state of São Paulo, more than 4,000 SUS vaccination stations and SUS flyers will be equipped to apply anti-influenza doses in priority groups and conduct a campaign against the Coronavirus simultaneously.
In the capital, Sao Paulo, 468 schools and educational units will open exclusively to apply the flu vaccine with appropriate signs. At the same time, priority groups will also be able to update the polio vaccination booklet, Measles diseaseYellow fever, rotavirus and pentavalent immunization (tetanus, diphtheria, hepatitis B, whooping cough and meningitis).
Is it safe to go to the clinic to get a flu shot in the midst of the Covid pandemic?
It is important to note that the flu vaccination should take place in a room other than the one used for immunization against the Coronavirus. The rules of distance and hygiene must be respected.
“More vaccination sites are necessary, such as tents and installations so that there is no agglomeration, the distance is firm, and the professionals are very knowledgeable about this,” says Monica Levy, MD and director of the Brazilian Immunization Association. ).
“It is also recommended to determine the distance between people on the ground to wait for the vaccination, with distant chairs and waiting in the outdoor spaces so that a distance of at least 1.5 meters is respected, in addition to alcohol in the gel and places that contain water and soap to clean people.”
Can I get a flu vaccine with a Covid vaccine?
Priority should be given to vaccination against the Coronavirus. Everyone who has immunized against the Coronavirus must wait at least 14 days to receive the flu shot.
Mônica Levi recommends that the covid-19 vaccination be separated for two weeks from any other vaccine. “It is not particularly related to the influenza vaccine, because no vaccine against the Corona virus has been studied and applied simultaneously with any other vaccine, so we cannot say that there is no interaction or an increased possibility of any adverse effect.”
“And it is important to note, since there are two doses of the vaccine (of Covid), for those who have received Coronavac and their second dose will be determined within 3 or 4 weeks, that the person is not free to take the flu at any time. Time. Moment, because we have to Observe the date set for the second dose to maintain this period. It is not only the first, it is any dose. Therefore, if there is an overlap in the period of vaccination against influenza for the elderly, the priority should be given to covid, with respect to the period of two weeks for any dose and not delaying vaccination Against covid, “he says.
Can I get a flu shot if I have the Coronavirus?
People infected with the virus or who became ill less than 28 days ago should postpone influenza vaccination.
Health teams have been asked to conduct an examination to identify patients with respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, runny nose and shortness of breath. Anyone who suffers from a cough or a runny nose can only be vaccinated under the guidance of the health service request. Preventing should not be used for people with a fever or general malaise.
Are there contraindications to using the flu vaccine?
According to Monica, the flu vaccine should not be applied to anyone who has previously had a severe hypersensitivity episode to any of the vaccine components or to a previous dose: “People who have anaphylactic reactions should not receive subsequent doses.”
For this reason, the adverse effects control scheme should be strict and the application interval of different immunity should be followed. “If a person is taking any other vaccine with a covid vaccine and has a more serious adverse event, it will not be possible to know which vaccine to allocate. That is why it is recommended that all over the world not give covid vaccines simultaneously with any other vaccine,” he said. In Brazil, the Ministry of Health has set a 14-day period, “he explains.
How many people will be vaccinated against influenza?
The Ministry of Health goal is to immunize 79.7 million people from priority groups by 9 July. In the private sector, Abcvac expects clinics to immunize about 10% of the target set by the National Immunization Plan (PNI) – about 8 million people.
Are the influenza vaccines offered by the public and private network the same?
The vaccines offered by the private network are quadrivalent, that is, they protect against four subtypes of the influenza virus: two subtypes A and two types B.
Is the flu vaccine applied in different doses?
No. The flu vaccine should be used once a year, as the flu virus undergoes continuous mutations, and with only one dose.
Where can I find the flu vaccine on the private network?
The DPSP group, from Drogarias Pacheco and Drogaria São Paulo, expected a vaccination campaign against viruses that cause influenza. The company claims that immunization devices can be found in 25 supermarket chains in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In addition, the service will be provided to companies and residential units, with special conditions for vaccination groups and a team of pharmacists who will be able to travel to the site.
“It is imperative that the population remain immune to the viruses that cause common influenza, which has proven to be an important tool in 2020 to support the more flexible diagnosis of COVID-19,” says Maria Lemos, Director of Group Health Services and Operations. . According to the company, the cost of the vaccine starts at R $ 99 for relationship program clients.
The Prevention Clinic in Curitiba is committed to home vaccination. “Our clinic specializes in vaccinations at home and in residential units. In order to motivate our customers and give more practicality to our customers, we work with different values in servicing residential units, with driving models, and application in apartments or in spaces suitable for vaccination practice in condominiums,” she says Nayara Filhina, protection owner in the capital of Paraná.
Lello Condomínios, who works for SP, has recorded at least two initiatives by residents for mass vaccination against influenza. The first, located in Villa Leopoldina, in the capital of São Paulo, vaccinated 370 residents and 28 employees – assuming staff vaccination cost, out of around 350 apartments. And in Osasco, another housing unit in the chain vaccinated 60 people out of a total of nearly 400 apartments.
In the Park Avenue residential complex in Higienopolis, the capital of São Paulo, the population initiative that was implemented five years ago in 2021 was intensified by the necessary vaccination period between the Covid vaccine and other vaccines. “People love it, because it’s very comfortable, especially with the epidemic problem,” says Silvia Regina Pacheco, local resident and organizer of the project. “We’ve done it outdoors, without clumping, with all the safety protocols.”
Sylvia also notes that mass vaccination becomes more beneficial financially. “With this company that provided us with the service, Immunobaby Vaccine Clinic, in the application for more than 30 people, it is possible to provide the price of the dose. This year we paid 85 BRL, in Einstein the vaccine was for R 200 dollars, so it is a very generous difference, worth every This hassle, which is another incentive for people to benefit and vaccinate in this procedure that we do annually. “
