The search for flu vaccines in private clinics in the city of São Paulo soared this week with the information that the capital of São Paulo had an increase in cases of the disease, even with people knowing that the available immunization is not enough against the new strain in circulation.
The influenza A H3N2, the same associated with the flu epidemic in Rio de Janeiro, is circulating in São Paulo and causes increased calls in emergency rooms and hospitalizations in public and private hospitals.
Only in Grupo Fleury, the demand for the flu vaccine grew 188% in the period between the last 6th and 12th in comparison with the previous week.
The number of tests for flu rose 265% in the same period and the number of positive cases increased four times, according to Fleury says in a statement.
In the unit of the Vacinarte clinic in Tatuapé, on the east side, only on the fourth (15) ten doses of the flu vaccine were applied. “That’s a lot, since last week there was no demand,” says nurse Elaine Aparecida da Silva. According to her, for comparison, on average, five daily doses of the immunizing agent against HPV, the most applied locally, are sold.
“We say that the 2022 strain is rolling and that there is no vaccine for it yet, even so people are looking for the 2021 strain,” he says.
ABCVAC (Brazilian Association of Vaccine Clinics) confirms the increase in demand in recent days in the states of São Paulo, Bahia and Espírito Santo. According to the organization, the 2022 version of the vaccine capable of protecting against Influenza A H3N2 should only be available between the end of February and March of next year.
According to the association’s president, Geraldo Barbosa, “the private market still has vaccine doses from the early 2021 campaign, so it can maintain the supply of immunizing agents.”
But the doses are already starting to disappear from private clinics. At the Vacinarte de Perdizes unit, in the west side, the flu vaccine ended on Tuesday (14). “And it won’t come again this year”, warns the nurse Gabriel Henrique da Silva.
According to Silva, this year the clinic bought 3,000 doses, many of which were bought by companies to vaccinate employees, and the remaining ones were sold “on sale” for R$60. The normal price informed was R$100.
At Climuni, in Santana, in the North Zone, the vaccine, which was sold at R$ 130, ended around 9:30 am on Thursday, according to the information received by telephone.
At Ipvacin (Paulista Institute of Vaccination), in Jardim Anália Franco, on the east side, at the end of the morning of this Thursday (16) there were about one hundred doses in stock, according to nurse Kelly Marcelino, but she thought that the amount would run out. therefore, because the same 100 vaccines were applied this week for R$ 50 each, the cheapest value among all ten clinics consulted by the report in the five regions of the capital — R$ 130 was the highest price.
“Even explaining that the doses are from 2021, people are coming to look for the flu vaccine”, says the nurse.
According to the president of ABCVAC, as the campaign normally takes place at the beginning of the year, in the second semester it usually only happens to children who have completed six months, for example.
According to nurse Gabriel Henrique da Silva, the Perdizes clinic was sought out in recent days by people who for some reason did not take the vaccine during the campaign that began in April.
According to the Secretary of State for Health, only 55.5% of people in priority groups took the flu vaccine for free at health posts spread across São Paulo municipalities, despite several extensions to the campaign.
In all, according to the João Doria government (PSDB), 13.1 million people were vaccinated in the state against the flu this year, with 10.1 million from priority groups, such as the elderly, pregnant women, mothers of mothers and children, or who has comorbidities, among others.
Even without proven effectiveness against the new strain, those who want to get the vaccine this year’s flu need to pay. According to the Municipal Department of Health, vaccination ended on August 31. “Because it is a campaign period defined, there is no provision for inventory replenishment,” says the folder in a statement.
new strain
Darwin, a variant of the H3N2 influenza, is responsible for the off-season flu epidemic in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, among other states. The problem is that current flu vaccines are not prepared to face this strain, so it’s no use rushing to get vaccinated now thinking about protection against this mutation.
Still, experts say, getting the vaccine is a good way to be prepared for other threats. In addition to the individual benefit, avoiding illness is a way to contribute to alleviating the demand for care in health services.
Constant mutations in flu viruses — the most common in the world — that lead to new variants are common. Consequently, there is a need to update vaccines against influenza.
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