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Rome, September 28, 2020 – The flu shot seems to help directly combat the Coronavirus. According to a study by the Cardiology Center Monzino of Milan, published in the magazine Vaccines, during the confinement in the regions with the highest vaccination coverage rate among more than 65enni, there were fewer infections, fewer hospitalized patients with symptoms, in intensive care and deaths from Covid-19. It is estimated that a 1% increase in vaccination coverage in people over 65 years of age could have prevented 78,560 infections.
But there is a risk, illustrates Gimbe Foundation, for those who do not fall within the priority objective for vaccination against influenza (elderly and people with chronic diseases) of fail to find the vaccine in pharmacy, despite the fact that the Ministry circular of June 4 recommends it “for all subjects from 6 months of age who do not have contraindications for the vaccine”, with an active and free offer for some categories of the population at risk. Numbers in hand, the Foundation has carried out an analysis of the situation region by region based on available data. “Influenza vaccination – says Nino Cartabellotta, president of the Gimbe Foundation – in addition to reducing the complications of seasonal influenza and limiting excess mortality, this year has a strategic public health objective: reduce the number of symptomatic people they run the risk of overloading local health services and first aid. This goal, however, requires a very broad vaccination coverage even in the risk-free groups that, in fact, include the majority of the workers in charge of the country’s economic recovery ”.
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Faced with concerns about the unavailability of a flu vaccine in pharmacies, the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) assured that about 17 million doses purchased by the Regions fully satisfy the needs, given that 12.5 million were distributed in the previous season, with a coverage of 54.6% in those over 65 years of age. If this increase in stocks – explains Cartabellotta – will allow us to expand coverage in risk categories, it is very difficult to estimate the increase in demand from the general population, which is also more aware of vaccination on the part of employers, concerned that the development of flu symptoms by its employees could paralyze productive activities “.
At the moment the Regions have surrendered to pharmacies l«1.5% of the purchased doses (around 250,000), with plans to expand this budget if other doses are available during the campaign. Federfarma has announced that they will come from abroad to pharmacies more than a million doses.
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“The Gimbe Foundation – explains Renata Gili, coordinator of the seasonal influenza monitoring project – conducted an independent analysis with the aim of mapping regional stocks of influenza vaccines, evaluating potential coverage for categories at risk and estimating the availability of dose for the general population “. According to the report, 7 Regions and 2 Autonomous Provinces, with stocks available, can achieve coverage less than 75% of the target population by age: Autonomous Province of Trento (70.2%), Piedmont (67.9%), Lombardy (66.3%), Umbria (61.9%), Molise (57.1%), Valle d’Aosta (51.5%), Abruzzo (49%), Autonomous Province of Bolzano (38.3%), Basilicata (29%). Twelve The regions, on the other hand, have received an adequate number of doses to achieve the 75% coverage of the target population by age. But the availability of residual doses for the population without risk is highly variable: Puglia (1,084,634), Lazio (926,291), Sicily (256,796), Tuscany (225,661), Campania (217,252), Calabria (100,273), Sardinia (96,113 ), Veneto (49,712), Liguria (38,501), Emilia-Romagna (9,980), Friuli-Venezia Giulia (5,218), Marche (5,022).
Considering that several Regions have taken measures to recover additional doses of vaccine, it cannot be excluded that availability may increase in relation to: the application of the fifth obligation with an increase of up to 20% of the number of doses granted, procedures negotiated without publication of a notice or carried out under patent law (concluded or in progress), the doses supplied and redistributed by the Ministry of Health. In addition, an overestimation of the residual doses is likely because the 75% coverage was calculated only on the demographic target, given the impossibility of quantifying the other risk categories: older people (60 years with chronic diseases, pregnant women, worker operators of health and others at risk, etc.
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“The scarce availability of influenza vaccine in pharmacies,” explains the president, “is attributable to at least three determinants. First, the Ministry of Health and most of the Regions did not foresee the need to increase stocks for he population not at risk. Second, the increased demand in international markets, Together with the delay with which the tenders were launched, it prevented some Regions from being awarded 100% of the required doses. Finally, pharmacies have not been able to stock up on unavailability of the vaccine on the market. ”“ Our analysis – Cartabellotta concludes – quantifies the difficulties of accessing the flu vaccine for the general population. In many Regions, in fact, only the decision to exclude one or more risk categories (for example, children) from the active and free offer or to comply with a target of less than 75% will allow increasing the availability of doses in pharmacies “.
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