(Fighting New Coronary Pneumonia) Vaccine demand increases in many places during special flu season, experts recommend reasonable and orderly vaccinations

  China News Service, Beijing, September 16 (Reporter Li Yanan) Under the new crown epidemic, the approach of the 2020 flu season has attracted much attention.

In order to prevent the risk of superimposed infection, the demand for influenza vaccination in many parts of China has increased significantly compared with the same period in previous years.

Experts suggest that all localities should increase the production and deployment of influenza vaccines, arrange vaccinators and venues in advance to ensure orderly vaccinations for citizens and a reasonable response to this year's influenza season.

  According to the latest data released by the World Health Organization, the total number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia worldwide has exceeded 29 million.

As a serious global health threat, influenza causes an estimated 1 billion cases each year, including 3 million to 5 million severe cases.

  Facing the risks of the new crown and influenza, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has recently released the latest version of China's influenza vaccine vaccination technical guidelines. The guidelines have updated the types of influenza vaccines approved for marketing and batch distribution in China from 2020 to 2021, and recommended medical personnel to provide for the elderly. Vulnerable people in institutions, long-term care institutions and other crowd gathering places, people in key places such as kindergarten institutions, and other high-risk groups of influenza such as patients with chronic diseases are given priority for influenza vaccination.

  It is worth noting that the 2020 technical guidelines for influenza vaccination in China were released earlier than in previous years.

Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiology expert of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that autumn and winter are the seasons for common respiratory infectious diseases such as influenza and pneumonia, which overlap with the prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, increasing the difficulty of isolation and medical load, which is not conducive to epidemic prevention and control.

The most effective way is to vaccinate key populations as soon as possible.

  So far, many places across the country have made relevant arrangements and deployments for flu vaccination in 2020.

The 60,000 influenza vaccines scheduled for the first round in Gansu Province had been vaccinated before the end of August.

On September 1, the first domestically-made nasal spray flu vaccine in Shandong Province was also vaccinated.

Beijing has implemented an appointment system for influenza vaccination this year, and will begin to vaccinate in stages and batches in late September.

  At the same time, some regions have also provided policy support for special groups.

Elderly persons over 70 years old with registered permanent residence in Zhejiang Province can voluntarily receive influenza vaccination for free.

Yijinhuoluo Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region provides free influenza and 23-valent pneumonia vaccines to people 65 years and older.

Beijing Municipality will receive free influenza vaccines for elderly people over 60 years old, elementary and middle school students, and front-line personnel in the prevention and control of the new crown epidemic.

  According to industry insiders, according to the statistics on the batch issuance of biological products issued by the China Food and Drug Control Institute, as of early September, more than 15 million doses of influenza vaccine have been approved.

Judging from the information reported by influenza vaccine companies, it is expected that the batch of influenza vaccine issued in 2020 will at least double that of last year, or reach 50 million doses.

  However, the media recently disclosed that the demand for vaccination in Beijing, Gansu, Sichuan, and Jilin was generally higher than in previous years, and there was a temporary supply shortage in some areas.

  In response to this situation, disease control experts said that vaccines are supplied in batches and are generally supplied in an orderly manner from north to south in accordance with the law of influenza epidemics. Priority is given to ensuring the vaccination of key populations for influenza prevention and control. It is recommended that citizens try not to get together for vaccination.

By developing good hygiene habits, wearing masks, washing hands frequently, etc., to play the role of "social vaccine", influenza can also be prevented and vaccinated in batches in an orderly manner.

  In addition, experts pointed out that the current monitoring of influenza in China is full year and full coverage, which can give full play to the "sentinel" early warning function of hundreds of network laboratories and hospitals.

Relevant departments and vaccine manufacturers should also conduct adequate research to estimate the growth rate of vaccine demand, and then make reasonable arrangements on the production side.

On the one hand, local vaccination sites should actively contact the disease control department to increase the delivery volume; on the other hand, they should scientifically guide and make appointments to ensure orderly vaccination for citizens.

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