Why is it important to get vaccinated during this period?
• Vaccines may protect against coronary heart disease?
• And are there enough dishes for the whole population?
• Questions and Answers
Influenza vaccines for adults at the Maccabi box office
Photography:
Coco
So why is it important to get vaccinated against the flu now, in the corona era?
The coming winter will be especially challenging for the healthcare system and patients.
Because corona and the flu have similar symptoms, people who get vaccinated against the flu actually make it easier to continue diagnosing and treating them.
In addition, one estimate is that about 10% of the population may develop influenza and corona at the same time ("florona" as it is called in the Ministry of Health), so that symptoms of one virus may worsen the symptoms of the other virus.
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"Those who develop the flu will also be suspected of corona, will need tests, and in cases of hospitalization - will be hospitalized in isolation until the answers are received. Outbreaks of seasonal flu in winter along with the corona will cause heavy loads on the health system until health system fails," said Prof. For Medicine at Ariel University, Chairman of the Association of Pediatricians and Specialist in Infectious Diseases.
"It is also possible that flu-like illness, with damage to the lining of the airways, will increase the risk of contracting the coronavirus and causing disease by infiltrating the airways. Indeed, there are reports in the scientific literature of dual flu-and-coronary-illness morbidity."
Can the flu vaccine protect against corona?
According to Prof. Ashkenazi, "There are isolated reports that those vaccinated against influenza have been less ill in Corona. This association may be due to the fact that those vaccinated against influenza are more aware of health issues and pay more attention to personal hygiene, masks and social distance. I'm causal, and because the viruses are similar, there is a degree of cross-protection. "
Who is in the risk groups or preferred to be vaccinated?
Groups that are at high risk for flu complications are patients with chronic diseases (heart disease, respiratory diseases and more).
What types of vaccines are available and for whom are they intended?
There are three types of vaccines.
This year, for the first time, four doses of an increased dose of vaccine called Ploson arrived in Israel, which is given by injection and is intended for those aged 65 and over.
The vaccine protects against four strains of influenza.
The "regular" vaccine, a killed vaccine that protects against four strains of the flu virus (vaccines that only protect against three strains have also been ordered) and is given to all populations.
Spray vaccine - This year, Israel purchased about 900,000 doses of attenuated live vaccine in the spray.
It is intended for ages 2 to 49, except for those who suffer from an immune system deficiency, or are taking steroids.
Children up to the age of 9 who receive the vaccine for the first time should be vaccinated in two doses.
Are there enough vaccines for the entire population?
This year, a record number of 4.2 million vaccines were purchased, which is expected to be sufficient for about 46% of the population.
For comparison, in previous years the number of vaccinators did not exceed the second million, so a shortage is not expected.
However, the HMOs report high responsiveness among people who have been summoned to be vaccinated, and in hospitals the immunization rate of medical staff has risen from about 36% to more than 60%.