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Corona pandemic and flu wave: a lot for the health system. Therefore, Medical President Reinhardt calls for more population groups to get vaccinated against influenza. There is enough vaccine available.
Medical President Klaus Reinhardt has called for the most comprehensive flu vaccination possible for educational personnel in Germany. The wave of flu expected in the cold months should not jeopardize the functioning of nurseries and schools, the president of the German Medical Association told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
Reinhardt stressed that not only children, but also staff had to be vaccinated “as extensively as possible” against the flu. This is the only way to protect the entire education system.
Recommended vaccination for risk groups
In the corona pandemic, flu vaccination has so far been recommended mainly to risk groups such as the elderly, the chronically ill and pregnant women: on the one hand, to avoid superinfections with other dangerous pathogens, on the other hand, to keep the number of flu hospitalizations as low as possible.
Flu vaccination is also recommended for medical personnel in hospitals, nursing facilities and the elderly, and in the healthcare sector. If everyone wanted to get vaccinated, it would be about 40 million people.
Is the vaccine enough?
The Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) considers that the quantities of influenza vaccine are sufficient at the beginning of the new influenza season. There are currently no shortage of flu vaccines for the 2020/21 flu season in Germany, said Klaus Cichutek, president of PEI, the dpa news agency. “We expect manufacturers to provide at least 21 million cans.”
13.6 million cans have already been approved for Germany after batch testing. That is a normal amount for this time of year. According to its own information, the Federal Ministry of Health ordered another six million doses, to be vaccinated mainly in November and December. A total of 21 million cans were available last season.
SPD health politician Karl Lauterbach had previously warned of bottlenecks in the delivery of flu vaccines. “We absolutely need an additional vaccine,” Lauterbach told the publishing network in Germany.
“Training program” for the immune system
Medical President Reinhardt also does not expect a “nationwide shortage.” However, in view of the increased willingness to vaccinate this year, there could be local bottlenecks in individual practices.
Reinhardt also said that this fall and winter’s flu wave may well be more harmless than in previous years: “The crown routine, that is, washing your hands frequently, wearing masks and keeping your distance, reduces the infections in general. “
A flu vaccine could also have a positive effect on the risk of coronavirus infection, the medical president explained. Flu vaccination does not lead to specific immunization against the coronavirus, but it can strengthen the immune system in such a way that an infection with the new pathogen is more harmless. Each vaccine is “a training program for the immune system,” Reinhardt said.
