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This year’s flu season is likely to coincide with the second wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in our country. Doctors and health experts, including the Chief Sanitary Inspector Jarosław Pinkas himself, urge the public to get vaccinated against the flu this year. Are we ready for increased interest in the vaccine this season?
- In Poland, the flu vaccination coverage ranges from 3,26% to 4,12%. Among people over 65 who are most at risk of complications from influenza, the percentage of vaccinators is about 15%. The WHO recommends that the vaccination rate for this age group should be 75%.
- Compared to last flu season, we will have more flu vaccines refunded this year. A novelty is the partial reimbursement of the intranasal vaccine for children aged 3-5
- The Ministry of Health reports that the availability of the flu vaccine will depend on the manufacturer. Meanwhile, Deputy Health Minister Waldemar Kraska assured at the end of July that 1,5 million flu vaccines for the 2020/2021 season had already been purchased.
- If we use these 1,5 million vaccines, vaccination coverage this season will be estimated at 3,94 percent.
Low vaccination coverage for influenza in the population in Poland
The flu vaccine is on the recommended immunization list and should be given annually, preferably in September-December. Thanks to this, the body will manage to develop immunity before the peak of the disease, which in our country falls on the period from January to March. You can vaccinate against flu throughout the season, but you have to remember that immunity appears after about 7-14 days after vaccination.
There has been little interest in influenza vaccines in Poland so far. According to information provided by the Ministry of Health, over the past ten flu seasons, the flu vaccination status in the entire population has remained at a low level, ranging from 3,26-4,12%. The last 2019/2020 flu season had the highest vaccination coverage rate – 4,12 percent. This is a very small percentage. The highest flu vaccination rate was recorded in Poland in the 2001/2002 season and it was 10,57 percent.
According to WHO recommendations, flu vaccination among seniors 65+ in the European Region should be implemented at the level of 75%. vaccination status in this age group. Meanwhile, the average for the European Union is approx. 44 percent. Against this background, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Scotland stand out, where the vaccination rate in the 65+ age group is above 75%. In Poland, on average, 15% of flu vaccines are vaccinated. seniors.
However, this flu season may be different from the previous ones. Since the beginning of the year, the world has been struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease that affects the respiratory tract (and affects the functioning of the entire body) and causes symptoms similar to those of the flu. Doctors and experts urge the public to get vaccinated against the flu this year. To encourage vaccinations, flu vaccines were on the September reimbursement list.
- Flu vaccine 2020. What should I know? [WE EXPLAIN]
Flu vaccination reimbursement
In the 2019/2020 flu season, the only influenza vaccine that was reimbursed was VaxigripTetra. As part of pharmacy sales, the company that distributes the vaccine has secured 564 doses. As part of the refund from September to December 025, 2019 doses were sold.
In addition, the company also secured 358 doses of the flu vaccine dedicated to health care facilities (orders from Healthcare Centers + local government preventive programs). The estimated number of doses of influenza vaccines sold on the Polish market in 120/2019, based on NIPH-PZH data, is 2020.
During the 2019/2020 flu season, Vaxigrip Tetra was partially reimbursed for people over 65 years of age. The price of the vaccine after the reduction was PLN 22,88.
More vaccines have been reimbursed for the 2020/2021 flu season, which could encourage the public to take advantage of them. How is flu vaccination coverage this year? The September reimbursement list includes:
Free flu vaccine VaxigripTetra:
- for people over 75 years of age
Partial refund of VaxigripTetra flu vaccine:
- for people over 65 (price after a reduction: PLN 22,88)
Partial refund of Influvac Tetra flu vaccine:
- adults (from 18 to 65 years of age) qualified by a doctor to the group of increased risk of complications after influenza (price after reduction: PLN 24,95)
Partial reimbursement of Fuenz Tetra nasal flu vaccine:
- children from three to five years (price after a reduction of PLN 47,87)
This year, flu vaccines are also expected to appear in pharmacies earlier. There was a problem with the availability of vaccines in the 2019/2020 season, as the World Health Organization, which usually announces the new lineup in February, was one month behind schedule. For this reason, the vaccines hit pharmacies in October and November.
– In the first place, the vaccine will go to pharmacies. It will be available in the first half of September, and in wholesalers so that it can be purchased by clinics – in the second half of September – said in an interview with PAP national consultant in the field of medicine, Dr. Agnieszka Mastelarz-Migas.
- Check out how to prepare for flu season:
See also: Who should get the flu shot? – indications for the vaccine
How many flu vaccines will go to Poland?
When we asked the Ministry of Health how many doses of flu vaccines it has secured this year, we got the answer that “the availability of vaccines on the market depends on producers and free market allocation in an EU country. The vaccine should be available on the Polish market from September, this is what the manufacturer declares ».
At the end of July, Deputy Health Minister Waldemar Kraska said in an interview with RMF FM that 1,5 million doses of the flu vaccine have already been ordered this year, with the proviso that this amount may be increased even more.
“The quantity is appropriate, I am worried whether they will be willing to get vaccinated” – said Deputy Minister Kraska at the time.
The deputy minister’s fears may turn out to be justified. As reported by the website jajpolek.pl, in August the interest of patients in the flu vaccine increased significantly. One of the vaccines, VaxigripTetra, was among the three most sought after products in August. The first surge in interest in the vaccine came in March, at the start of the pandemic.
Interestingly, still over 50 percent. pharmacies have the VaxigripTetra vaccines from the previous season. Such a situation did not take place a year earlier. However, the increase in the search for the vaccine did not translate into its sale. The Vaxigrip Tetra vaccines from the 2019/2020 season will expire at the end of August 2020.
The interest in the flu vaccine is more theoretical for now. Perhaps this will change when the pharmacies receive vaccines strictly for this flu season.
Vaccination coverage at the level of 70 percent? We would need over 26 million doses of the vaccine
In an interview with Anna Zimny-Zając as part of the #GośćMedTvoiLokony series, the Chief Sanitary Inspector Jarosław Pinkas said that he dreams of achieving a flu vaccination coverage of 70% in Poland.
In order to fulfill these dreams in Poland, where 38 million people live, 26 people would have to be vaccinated. Taking into account that, according to what Deputy Minister Waldemar Kraska said, we will have about 660 million vaccinations, it may be very difficult.
If we assume that in the flu season 2020/2021 we will use these 1,5 million vaccines (probably only the Vaxigrip Tetra vaccine), the vaccination coverage of the society will be 3,94%.
Assuming that we wanted to reach the 2001/2002 vaccination threshold of 10%, we would need almost three times as many vaccines as ordered – 3. To reach 800% flu vaccination, 000 million people would have to get vaccinated .
Let’s take a look at the WHO recommendations that flu vaccination coverage should be 65% among people over the age of 75. According to the data of the Central Statistical Office in Poland, in 2018 the population of people over 65 was 6,6 million. This means that we would only need 4 doses of flu vaccines for this age group if we were to follow the WHO recommendations.
In the calculations, we did not take into account people who have contraindications to vaccination, as well as children under six months of age, but it must be admitted that these numbers are impressive.
The editorial board recommends:
- Flu vaccinations – indications, contraindications, dosage, prices
- This year everyone should get a flu shot. Will this save us from COVID-19?
- Expert: I recommend that you get flu vaccinations commonly
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