From Friday, people over 65 and those with certain pathologies can be vaccinated for free against seasonal flu.
Le Monde with AFP
France launched, on Friday, October 22, its annual vaccination campaign against seasonal flu, in a particularly uncertain context, because still marked by the CVIV-19 epidemic.
“The flu could be strong this year because we did not last year, explained Olivier Véran, the Minister of Health, Friday on BFM-TV . I really start a call to French aged 65 or older, or the French with chronic disease, or caregivers who are six months of their last Injection [Vaccine Anti-Covid], to benefit from a reminder. again, it is free in the center or at the pharmacist. “
From Friday, the French can therefore be vaccinated against the seasonal influenza if they are part of the categories to which it is recommended to do so. It is essentially over 65 years old and pregnant women, but also people with certain pathologies: asthma, diabetes, heart failure, AIDS … All caregivers are also concerned.
This launch concerns vaccination for independent people who can ask their doctor or pharmacist. In elderly accommodation facilities (EHPAD), the campaign has already started Monday.
Make a stone two strokes
The Government intends to take advantage of the influenza vaccination to give a new breath to that against the coronavirus, while the French at-risk can be injected an anti-Covid vaccine recall dose since the beginning of September. However, “the same people are at risk of severe Covid and Severe Influenza,” said Jerome Solomon, Director General of Health, Thursday at a press conference.
The health authorities therefore want to make two shots with one stone. In concrete terms, it will be possible – even encouraged – to receive at the same time its third dose of anti-covid vaccine and its flu vaccine: a sting by arm.
Successive confines and barriers to the fight against the epidemic had then reduced the circulation of other viruses, starting with that of influenza. Reversing the medal, the low circulation of viruses last winter has probably decreased the immunity of the population.
“After two years of Covid, two years without influenza, we must prepare for the” circulation “” Viruses of Covid-19, bronchiolitis and seasonal flu, concluded Mr. Solomon, putting the emphasis on the importance of barrier gestures. In any case, the government took its precautions by ordering more influenza vaccines than last year.