Although less than 21% of Romania’s senior citizens gets immunized, authorities in Romania are bracing themselves for the new season with a double quantity of flu vaccine
A free flu vaccination campaign has kicked off in Romania this week, after the first batch of doses has been distributed nationwide. For this season, the government has bought three million flu shots, double the quantity last season in order to ease the people's access to this treatment and lower the risk posed by influenza against the background of the present COVID-19 pandemic.
The vaccine doses will be distributed to the Public Health Directions in several stages, like in the previous years. On Monday, the Health Ministry commenced the distribution of the first 330 thousand doses to the aforementioned directions, which will deliver to family physicians and medical units for the immunization of their patients.
The rest are to be distributed in mid-October and in November for the immunization of individuals at increased risk of severe disease. People over 65, those suffering from chronic diseases, particularly respiratory or cardiovascular, metabolic issues, children and seniors in foster and retirement homes, medical personnel and pregnant women will be given priority, according to recommendations from the World Health Organisation and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
As every year the immunization campaign will be carried out through the family physician offices and other medical units. Given the present epidemiological situation, experts recommend people outside the high-risk category to purchase the flu vaccine.
The Health Ministry has called on pharmaceutical units across the country to get flu vaccine supplies in due time. Flu vaccines have been recommended by physicians as the most effective protection method against viruses but Romania is presently at the bottom of a European ranking regarding the immunization of its senior citizens who are the most vulnerable category.
According to the latest data released by the EU Statistical Office, only a little over a fifth of Romania's seniors gets flu shots, which accounts for half of the EU average. From the EU countries only Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia and Lithuania have reported lower percentages than Romania when it comes to immunization. Ireland is at the opposite poll with two thirds of its seniors vaccinated being followed by the Netherlands, Portugal and Belgium.
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