As the COVID inoculations pass the 100 million mark, another important vaccination campaign is set to start November 3: that of influenza.
The federal Health Ministry announced that it expects more than 32 million doses will be administered for the 2021–2022 flu season. The doses are intended for the most vulnerable: children aged six months to five years old, seniors, pregnant women, health workers and people at risk for complications. All health institutions have sufficient resources to vaccinate those groups, the ministry promised.
The ministry also reported that this season will probably see fewer influenza cases than the pre-pandemic normal, thanks to the COVID health measures in place, including hand-washing, the use of face masks and social distancing.
In other good news, a new study shows the flu shot might be good for more than just avoiding influenza: University of Miami researchers found that COVID-19 patients who had received a flu shot within the last six months had fewer related complications, emergency room visits and incidents of deep-vein thrombosis, according to infectious disease specialist Alex Guri. And unlike the COVID vaccine, the flu vaccine has been fully approved for use in children.
With reports from El Sol de México
