Flu vaccination attracts less than 6,000 on the first day in São Paulo

On the first day of the return of vaccination against the flu in the city of São Paulo, the UBSs (Basic Health Units) received 0.6% of people who can be immunized until the beginning of the afternoon of Friday (24th).

According to the Municipal Health Department, until 12:00 on Friday, 5,954 doses were applied, being 5,007 in the elderly, 418 in pregnant women, 454 in children and 75 in postpartum and breastfeeding women.

On Thursday (23), the city hall received from the Butantan Institute 1 million doses of the immunizing agent against the H1N1 virus, which have little effect on the current epidemic, caused by Darwin, a variant of the H3N2 influenza.

Seniors over 60 years of age, children aged six months to five years, pregnant women, postpartum women and breastfeeding women are being prioritized in this new vaccination campaign.

The low demand on Friday caused the health posts to close earlier. The forecast was that the vaccination would go on until 19:00, but the units ended the service at 17:00. According to the secretariat, the low movement, despite the high number of flu cases in the capital, was due to the fact that it was Christmas Eve.

This year’s flu vaccination campaign ended on August 31st. According to the secretariat, 4,470,557 doses were applied, covering 74.7% of the eligible public.

According to the folder, the out-of-season immunization is an “attempt to alleviate the worrying picture of the increase in the number of cases of patients with respiratory symptoms in recent days”.

According to the secretariat, in November there were 111,949 consultations of patients with flu symptoms, with 56,220 suspected of Covid-19. In December, until this Wednesday (22), there were 184,460 cases of respiratory conditions, 84,753 of which were suspected of Covid-19.

“If the person has not taken the vaccine this year and is from the risk group, they need to take it”, says pediatrician Renato Kfouri, director of SBIm (Brazilian Society of Immunizations). “Of course, the great villain now is H3N2, but there may be another wave of type B or A. Therefore, it is always recommended that those in the risk group should get a vaccine”, he says.

According to the doctor, it is not recommended that a person who has already been vaccinated takes the same immunizing agent again and it is necessary to wait for the new vaccination campaign, scheduled for April of next year.

The high number of cases, which has filled emergency rooms in public and private hospitals, has led to a rush to private vaccine clinics, even with the forecast that immunizers against H3N2 will only arrive in these places between the end of February and March of next year .

The increase in cases made the City of São Paulo reserve beds for patients with these conditions at the Hospital Municipal da Brasilândia, in the northern part of the city.

According to the secretariat, 258 of the hospital’s 406 beds, or 63.5%, will only be for patients with Sagrs (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndromes). The others are still reserved for Covid-19 treatment.

Of the total for people with flu-like symptoms, there will be 158 infirmary beds and 100 in ICUs (Intensive Care Units).

This week, the city authorized the emergency hiring of 280 doctors, in addition to nurses, for AMAs (Medical Ambulatory Outpatients) and for UPAs (Emergency Care Units) to try to handle the discharge in attendance.

in parks

Vaccination against the flu and against Covid-19 this Sunday (26), in São Paulo, will be concentrated in two pharmacies on Avenida Paulista, in the central region, and in six parks in all regions of the city.

According to the secretariat, it is not necessary to have an interval between them and it is possible to take both vaccines, against Covid-19 and against the flu, on the same day.

See where to get the vaccine this Sunday in the city of São Paulo

From 8am to 4pm

Pharmacies

Avenida Paulista 2,371 and 266

Parks

CRS Downtown: Buenos Aires Park (downtown)
CRS Sul: Guarapiranga Park (south zone)
CRS East: Parque do Carmo (eastern zone)
CRS Oeste: Villa-Lobos Park (west area)
CRS Southeast: Independence Park (South Zone)
CRS North: Youth Park (northern area)