From this Friday, four days earlier than expected, all “priority” audiences will be able to be vaccinated against the flu.
The announcement was made by Minister of Health Olivier Véran on Twitter.
For the moment, the elderly who reside in nursing homes can already receive the vaccine since Monday, October 18.
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According to Social Security, the priority audiences are people aged 65 and over; people under 65 with certain chronic diseases; pregnant women ; people with obesity - body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 40.
This measure was announced in an "urgent" note from the Directorate General of Health (DGS) to the doctors, pharmacists and nurses concerned. In this note, which France Info was able to consult, the DGS justifies this decision by the fact that
"this year, in a context of circulation of Covid-19 and influenza viruses, the risk of co-infection and development severe forms and death ”
. It is therefore
"
to encourage synergy between the two vaccination campaigns and not lose any opportunity to vaccinate against influenza and against Covid-19 the most vulnerable people"
.
"The concomitant production of vaccines"
against influenza and Covid-19 is
"Possible in order to avoid any delay in the administration of one or the other of these injections"
, assured for its part the High Authority of Health (HAS) in a press release of September 27.
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"The potential risk would be that of a decrease in the immune response to one or the other of the vaccines, but the recent results of a trial reported by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization are reassuring on this point"
, details the HAS.
“Concretely, the two injections can be given on the same day, but at two different vaccination sites - one vaccine in each arm.”
If the concomitant realization of the vaccines was not possible,
"there is no time limit to respect between the two vaccinations"
, further recalls the HAS.
On September 27, Olivier Véran had indicated to have
"ordered much more influenza vaccine than last year"
, advancing the figure of
"10 million doses"
available in pharmacies.
