Health Expands Flu and COVID Vaccination to Entire Population

La población general de Alicante y el resto de la Comunitat puede desde el pasado lunes solicitar su vacunación frente a la gripe u la covid. De esta forma, la Conselleria de Sanidad hace extensible la campaña más allá de los grupos prioritarios, que fueron llamados a vacunarse durante el pasado mes de octubre.

Within this group are people over 60, residents in social health centres, patients with chronic conditions of any age from six months, pregnant women, and healthcare and social care staff. Among them, 625,430 people were immunised against the flu, and 361,247 against COVID-19 during October.

Health aims to strengthen the protection of citizens against respiratory viruses before the arrival of winter, when the incidence of these infections and complications in older people or those with chronic diseases increases.

The Health Minister, Marciano Gómez, emphasises that "a single appointment can serve to administer the flu and COVID-19 vaccines, and in the indicated groups also the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, thus reinforcing protection to the maximum level before winter."

In the school environment, students in the second cycle of early childhood education and special education centres have been immunised. As of this Monday, 46,591 students have been vaccinated throughout the Valencian Community (13,953 in the province of Alicante).

Meanwhile, in care homes, more than 40,000 doses have been administered, 21,619 and 19,300 doses of flu and COVID-19 vaccines respectively, in addition to 13,696 doses against RSV, a novelty in the 2025 campaign that extends protection against this virus to institutionalised people aged 60 or over, as well as lung and haematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

The department led by Marciano Gómez reminds that vaccination not only prevents respiratory infections but also reduces associated complications and mortality. In the case of the flu, "it is proven that the vaccine can prevent up to half of severe cases in older adults and has been observed to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke following a flu infection."

They also explain that scientific studies indicate that in the two weeks following a flu episode, cardiovascular risk multiplies by four, and in people with chronic diseases, the risk of severe complications multiplies by seven.

Vaccination against COVID-19 "remains the best measure to prevent hospitalisations and severe cases in older people or those with risk pathologies." Regarding RSV, its administration in institutionalised older adults and transplant recipients "reduces lower respiratory infections and complications in patients with frailty or immunosuppression."