“It’s time for the flu, it’s time for the vaccine.” Lots of information and a video, on the new regional website https://www.vaccino-antinfluenzale.it, which invites you to join the flu vaccination campaign starting next Monday. There are one and a half million doses available to citizens, the supply of which will be completed by the end of November: they will therefore be intended primarily for the elderly, for those at high risk for pathology or exposure of all ages, for pathological conditions, physiological (pregnancy) or occupational exposure.
“Getting vaccinated against seasonal flu is an important preventive gesture – recalls the regional councilor for health policies, Raffaele Donini -, especially for those at risk. The main objective is to reduce possible complications, but also, given the situation linked to the pandemic, simplify the diagnosis and management of suspected cases of Covid-19. The flu vaccine – concludes Donini – makes us stronger against a disease, however very contagious, which unfortunately can be dangerous “. In Emilia-Romagna the aim is to reach an increasing number of vaccinated people, especially among the over 64 with or without chronic diseases, people between 6 months and 59 years with chronic diseases and pregnant women, regardless of gestational age, or in the post-partum period.
These are categories for which vaccination is free, as well as, at the request of the interested party, it is for healthy subjects who fall within the 60-64 age group. Free admission is also provided for doctors, health and social-health workers, volunteers from the health / social-health sector, employees of essential services (such as teachers, law enforcement, public transport workers), blood donors, staff from farms and slaughterhouses. The goal is to reach 75% of vaccinated over-sixty-four-year-olds (in the past season the threshold of 70% was exceeded, with an increase of 13.2%) and confirm the increasing trend in coverage relating to pregnant women, to subjects with diseases chronic of any age, to health personnel.
How the vaccination campaign will take place
The campaign will therefore start on Monday. It is up to the Health Authorities to provide general practitioners with the list of names of patients with pathologies at risk and of those aged 65 and over; for citizens between 60 and 65 years still to be completed, the vaccination is given free of charge at the request of the interested party. The vaccine can be administered at any time during the flu season, even if the citizen shows up after December 31st.
The local health authorities will provide the treating physicians with the doses of vaccine necessary to vaccinate patients belonging to the categories at risk. The administration of the vaccine to people who do not fall into the categories at risk can be carried out by the Ausl at a later time, and only on condition that the vaccination of the categories for which the ministry provides for the free active offer is guaranteed as a matter of priority. In these cases, since these are optional services and not included in the essential levels of assistance, the payment of 24 euros per administration (including the cost of the vaccine borne by the Region) is applied.
Pneumococcal vaccination
Not just the flu shot. Pneumococcal vaccination is actively offered (with direct communication by the Companies to the recipients) and free of charge in pediatric age (during the first year of life), to people of any age with chronic diseases that represent a risk factor for the development of invasive pneumococcal diseases and, from 2017, to people who turn 65 this year. Also in this case the vaccines are delivered by the Ausl to general practitioners, who will be able to administer the vaccines throughout the year.
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