Flu and Covid: the vaccination campaign begins

The annual flu and Covid vaccination campaign begins in France this Tuesday. Health authorities are strongly encouraging the 19 million French people affected to get vaccinated against both diseases at the same time.

Be vaccinated against Covid and the flu simultaneously

Like every fall and winter, this campaign aims to protect people deemed at risk of complications, as the flu returns every year and Covid experiences more frequent waves. These people include everyone over 65, pregnant women, many patients with chronic illnesses, obese people, and residents of institutions such as nursing homes. To these must be added, this time to protect those around them, the vast majority of caregivers, home helps for people at risk, and professions such as tour guides. Finally, vaccines are also recommended for farmers exposed to avian flu.

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This represents nearly 19 million people in mainland France for whom the flu vaccine is free. The Covid vaccine is, in any case, free for all French people, a legacy of the 2020 health crisis. These vaccines can be administered by many healthcare professionals: doctors, nurses, pharmacists, midwives, etc. And the authorities strongly encourage people to receive both the flu and Covid vaccines at the same time.

Authorities specifically recommend two flu vaccines

The challenge, alongside respecting barrier gestures such as handwashing and ventilation, is to improve vaccination coverage for these two diseases. Since the end of the health crisis, the French have been getting vaccinated less: last year, less than half did so for the flu, with even lower rates for Covid. This situation contributed to a particularly severe flu epidemic last season. It caused more than 17,000 deaths, according to the French Public Health agency, compared to an annual average of around 10,000.

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Specifically, five vaccines, based on the same strains, are available against the flu. For the first time, authorities will specifically recommend two for older adults: Sanofi's Efluelda and Seqirus's Fluad, designed to be more effective in these individuals. The Covid vaccine remains Pfizer's Comirnaty, as it has been in recent seasons.