The influenza vaccination campaign will begin on October 5 in Quebec. Quebec’s national director of public health, Dr.r Luc Boileau, invites citizens to simultaneously receive the flu vaccine and the one against COVID-19, the cases of which are on the rise.
Influenza is a “serious illness that needs to be taken seriously,” Dr.r Boileau during his press briefing on Thursday. Every year, deaths are recorded, he recalled.
As of October 5, Quebecers considered to be at risk of complications (aged 75 and over, suffering from certain chronic diseases or with 2e or 3e trimesters of their pregnancy) can make an appointment on Clic Santé to receive the influenza vaccine free of charge. Healthcare workers, people between 60 and 74 years old, and children between 6 months and 23 months can also be immunized free of charge.
In CHSLDs and intermediate resources, the influenza vaccination campaign will begin on October 3, public health authorities have indicated.
Quebec thus advances the annual vaccination against the flu by a few weeks. Authorities have observed earlier influenza activity this year in the southern hemisphere.
“There will be a massive offer of vaccination for targeted and eligible clienteles, said the assistant deputy minister at the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), Daniel Desharnais, who accompanied Dr.r Boileau. Several vaccination centers dedicated to COVID-19 will also offer the flu vaccine. It will therefore be possible to receive both doses simultaneously, one in each arm.
COVID resurgence
The Dr Boileau provided an update on the COVID-19 pandemic during the press briefing. Several indicators show that the disease is on the rise, he said. “The number of cases, hospitalizations and [la présence du virus dans] sewage, he said. For the moment, it is very early to decide that this is a new wave. »
However, no new variants were detected. “It is especially the BA5 which circulates”, said the Dr Boileau.
The doctor stressed the importance of getting vaccinated when the last dose was more than five months ago or the infection was more than three months old. According to the latest data available, 22% of the Quebec population has received a dose of vaccine for less than five months.
Faced with this low percentage, the Dr Boileau, however, does not say he is worried. “We feel that people who are at risk [60 ans et plus] come for the vaccine. But of course we would like to see these figures go up even more, ”said the national director of public health, specifying that a certain number of seniors had COVID-19 this summer.
Recall that Moderna’s bivalent vaccine, which targets both the original strain of the coronavirus and the Omicron variant, is now available to Quebecers. The province has received 1.2 million doses so far and nearly 300,000 have been administered, according to Daniel Desharnais.