The 2024-2025 autumn-winter seasonal vaccination campaign begins this Friday in the National Health Service (SNS) health units and in more than 2,500 pharmacies, with almost five million vaccines against flu and covid-19 to administer.
Another 25 pharmacies joined the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 and flu this year, which has so far covered 2,519 units.
The pharmacies will operate in conjunction with the health centers, administering vaccines to users between 60 and 84 years old and to their health professionals.
This year, the flu vaccination with a booster dose is extended to people aged 85 or over, in addition to people living in nursing homes, similar facilities and the national network of integrated continuing care (RNCCI).
Speaking to Lusa on September 10, the Director-General of Health, Rita Sá Machado, recalled that people over 84 years old will only be vaccinated “in a health center setting”.
In the rules relating to the campaign, which define the eligible groups, the vaccines to be used, the vaccination schedules and the technical procedures associated with vaccination, the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) indicated that the vaccination against flu with a booster dose “will take place in health centres, allowing all its logistics to be streamlined”.
On Thursday, the DGS clarified that the exclusion of vaccination in pharmacies for people aged 85 or over is due to “logistical issues” given the availability of high-dose flu vaccines and the number of posts.
“According to the number of doses of the high-dose vaccine made available, and the number of existing vaccination points (around 3,000), for logistical reasons it was decided to concentrate vaccination in health units, allowing each of these units to have a greater number of doses to meet the expected demand”, the DGS explained to the Lusa news agency.
In SNS health units, vaccination is recommended and free of charge for people aged 60 or over, professionals and users/residents in nursing homes, similar and RNCCI and people with risk pathologies.
Vaccination at SNS units is also recommended for pregnant women and professionals in health services (public and private) and other health care providers, students on clinical placements, firefighters involved in transporting patients, caregivers to dependent people and pharmaceutical distribution professionals, homeless people and prison establishments.
According to the DGS, “2.1 million vaccines against covid-19 were purchased (mainland Portugal and Autonomous Regions) and 2.5 million flu vaccines for mainland Portugal (2.1 million standard dose and 360 thousand high dose vaccines)”.
The DGS announced, without indicating the value of the investment, that “vaccines against flu and against Covid-19 were acquired in sufficient numbers for all those eligible who show an interest in being vaccinated”, in the SNS health units and in pharmacies.
The Government will spend 7.6 million euros on vaccinations against Covid-19 and flu in pharmacies and wants to have more people vaccinated by the end of November than in 2023.
Community pharmacies will receive three euros for each vaccine administered and may receive an additional 11 cents to offset the costs inherent in waste management, provided that a maximum rate of vaccine dose waste (1.5%) is ensured, corresponding to that which is also ensured in the context of SNS entities.
Source: www.cmjornal.pt
