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Some residents say they have never had a flu shot. He intends to do the same this year. And some people who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus think that the vaccine will also protect against the flu.
“This is very wrong because the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the influenza virus are completely different viruses. They are not even related and there is no cross protection, ”Vytautas Usonis, professor of infectious diseases at Vilnius University, told LNK News.
The same was confirmed by Daiva Razmuvienė, an epidemiologist at the National Center for Public Health: “If a person is vaccinated against COVID-19 infection, they will be protected only from this SARS-CoV-2 pandemic virus. Certainly, this vaccine will not protect a single percentage from the flu or other airborne infections. “
Daiva Razmuvienė
And this year is exceptional. Compared to other countries in the European Union, Lithuania has acquired influenza vaccines earlier than ever.
The vaccine purchase agreement was signed in March. The purchase sifted more than 2 million. euros.
“This year we bought 5 percent for Lithuania. More vaccines than last year and the total amount is 257 thousand doses of quadrivalent vaccine,” said Rimantas Zagrebajev, Head of the Public Relations Department of the State Health Insurance Fund.
Flu shots will be delivered to medical facilities in September and October.
Important to know for those who are still getting vaccinated against the coronavirus: you will have to wait a while for your immunity to develop before getting the flu shot.
“It cannot be done with the vaccine for the kovid infection. If a vaccine against the kovid infection is planned for a person, 14 days must elapse after those two vaccines to be able to be vaccinated against influenza”, clarified D. Razmuvienė.
An outbreak awaits if there will be enough calm: what will the flu season be this year, epidemiologists still cannot answer.
“It is very difficult to predict when these viruses will change, the same is the case with the flu virus. Yes, the last flu season was incredibly quiet, not only in Lithuania, but all over the world,” said D. Razmuvienė.
Influenza
Professor V. Usonis said: “Influenza activity in the southern hemisphere was very low. Now spring was coming, the winter season was over, the activity was very low. But it is also very much in doubt if this means that we can expect low morbidity in the northern hemisphere. “
Both the coronavirus and quarantine protection measures were important for the low morbidity. However, Professor V. Usonis is not so calm about this season and asks for vaccinations. He says he will do it himself.
“We have to be prepared for a possible flu outbreak and we should get a flu shot here,” Usonis said.
Currently, people over 65 and of any age with chronic diseases, pregnant women, people living in nursing homes and senior citizens, and medical personnel are vaccinated against influenza in Lithuania for free. You will need to see your GP to get vaccinated.
“We are not being treated by Google or any other information base. You should consult your family doctor all the time; he probably knows better what other diseases when it is better to get vaccinated,” Zagrebayev noted.
Specialists recall that pneumococcal infection is rampant in the cold during the flu outbreak.
“If a person has some other chronic diseases and belongs to a certain group of diseases, he should definitely take a vaccine against pneumococcal infection,” advised D. Razmuvienė.
Pneumococcal infection is transmitted by airborne droplets and is common throughout the world.
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