Chinanews client, Beijing, September 9th (Reporter Zhang Ni) Entering the fall, as the temperature drops, many people put the vaccination of the fall and winter flu vaccine on the agenda.
In the context of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the demand for vaccination this year is higher than in the past. Will the phenomenon of "hard to get a shot" appear?
Data map: People get the flu vaccine.
Photo by Zhang Jiarui issued by China News Service
Influenza vaccines are being launched in many places
November to March of the following year is the season of high influenza incidence.
Since influenza vaccine generally takes 2 to 4 weeks to produce a protective level of antibodies in the human body, September to October each year is the best time for influenza vaccination.
The reporter combed and found that at present, influenza vaccines have been launched in many provinces across the country.
For example, the 60,000 flu 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.
In addition, Beijing also launched the 2020-2021 influenza vaccine procurement bidding in August.
From the perspective of local policies, many cities have also given preferential treatment to some special groups this year.
According to a recent announcement issued by the Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it is clear that the elderly over 70 years old in Hangzhou can receive influenza vaccination for free.
Xiangyang City also announced that from September to October, all kinds of school students and kindergarten children in the city will be vaccinated free of charge for influenza vaccination, and special work will be completed before the end of October for the inspection, replenishment and replanting of vaccination certificates for children and students.
Data map: During the high-incidence period of influenza, the number of children in hospitals increased.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liu Wenhua
Why is flu vaccination so important this year?
The spread of the new crown pneumonia epidemic around the world has also made the prevention and control of influenza in this autumn and winter particularly interesting.
According to WHO's monitoring this year, three of the four most prevalent influenza virus strains in the northern hemisphere have changed.
In August of this year, officials of the World Health Organization publicly stated that due to the indistinguishability of the symptoms of new coronary pneumonia and influenza and the limited medical resources, countries should increase influenza vaccination rates to fight against influenza and focus on fighting the epidemic.
In China, Wang Chen, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an expert in respiratory medicine and critical care medicine, has previously suggested that the most effective preventive method is to vaccinate influenza vaccines in time and expand the population.
In response to the situation of influenza prevention and control in the fall and winter of this year, vaccine expert Tao Lina analyzed in an interview with a reporter from Chinanews.com, "The changes in influenza virus strains are currently predictions. It does not mean that these strains will be prevalent. Although the strains change every year, they are generally relatively small. If a major mutation is really predicted, it will definitely be prepared."
Taolina emphasized that the importance of influenza vaccination this autumn and winter is mainly due to two factors: First, from the perspective of the overall epidemic control, if a patient develops fever after being vaccinated with influenza, he can consider less influenza factors. , To reduce interference with the judgment of the epidemic; second, there is evidence that if the dual infection of new coronary pneumonia and influenza occurs, the symptoms will increase.
He said that compared with other types of vaccines, the protection rate of influenza vaccines is relatively low. The current protection rate of influenza vaccines is generally 60%-70%, which means that in order to form group protection, vaccination The rate is very demanding.
Data map: Free influenza vaccination for people over 65 years old from Tuoyun Ranch, Third Division of Xinjiang Corps.
Photo by Ge Mengli
The demand for vaccination increases, is the flu vaccine enough?
Statistics show that in the past, the domestic influenza vaccination rate was around 2% per year, which is far lower than that in some Western countries.
However, affected by the epidemic this year, people's willingness to vaccinate has increased significantly.
"Last year, only the children in the family were vaccinated for influenza, but this year I want the whole family to be vaccinated as much as possible, hoping to reduce the risk of running to the hospital." Beijing citizen Ms. Chen said in an interview with reporters that she has been following Beijing recently. I hope that I can make an appointment as soon as possible.
Zhang Xiaoshu, director of the Institute of Immunization Program of the Gansu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, previously stated that this year's vaccination peak in Gansu Province has come ahead of schedule, and the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic is an important reason.
In Shanghai, the disease control department initially predicts that the demand for influenza vaccination in autumn and winter this year will increase by about 50% over previous years.
In this context, whether this year's vaccination will produce a contradiction between supply and demand has also become the focus of attention.
"The validity period of the vaccine is only one year. In the past, the vaccine produced by the company had a relatively high scrap rate every year. The company was worried that the vaccine produced could not be used, so it dare not produce too much." Taolina explained that in the past, professional The personnel pay much attention to influenza vaccination, but the public is not paying enough attention, so the domestic vaccination situation is not ideal, which also leads to the low production capacity of the company.
However, the supply of vaccines this year is expected to increase significantly compared with previous years.
According to statistics on the batch issuance of biological products issued by the China Food and Drug Control Institute, as of September 8, more than 15 million doses of influenza vaccines have been approved, including trivalent influenza vaccines, quadrivalent influenza vaccines, and newly listed freeze-dried noses. There are three kinds of attenuated live flu vaccines.
In addition, compared with last year, the number of companies that have been approved for flu vaccines this year has increased to seven.
Taolina revealed that, judging from the information reported by influenza vaccine companies, it is expected that the number of batches of influenza vaccine issued this year will at least double that of last year.
However, experts believe that whether there will be a shortage of demand depends on the actual demand for vaccination this year.
Data map: The pharmacy window of a hospital.
Photo by Zhang Tianfu
About influenza vaccination, these should be understood!
——Preference for influenza vaccination
In principle, anyone who is 6 months old and above who is willing to get the flu vaccine and has no contraindications can get the flu vaccine.
The following key populations are recommended to give priority to vaccination: children between 6 months and 5 years old; the elderly 60 years and older; patients with chronic diseases; medical personnel.
——The timing of influenza vaccination
Usually 2 to 4 weeks after vaccination with influenza vaccine, a protective level of antibodies is produced. It is recommended that individuals complete the vaccination before the epidemic season. Those who have not been vaccinated before the epidemic season can also be vaccinated throughout the epidemic season.
After vaccination, the protective effect can be maintained for 6 to 8 months, gradually weakening over time, and influenza virus is prone to mutation, so it is recommended to receive influenza vaccine every year.
——How to choose different vaccines?
The number of strains contained in the trivalent vaccine and the quadrivalent vaccine are different. The quadrivalent influenza vaccine has one more type than the trivalent influenza vaccine, and the protection range is wider than that of the trivalent vaccine, but the trivalent vaccine is more economical.
The nasal spray vaccine is a newly marketed vaccine. It is an attenuated vaccine in terms of technology. The vaccine contains live virus and is vaccinated by nasal spray to more simulate the natural infection process.
No matter which type of vaccine, it has a preventive effect on influenza. People can choose the flu vaccine that suits them according to their actual needs.
——The protection rate of flu vaccine is not 100%
The protection rate of the flu vaccine is not 100%. Therefore, it is still possible to get the flu after the flu vaccine.
The public should still maintain good personal hygiene habits in autumn and winter, including: wearing masks, washing hands frequently, paying attention to respiratory etiquette (cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing), opening windows for ventilation, eating a balanced diet, and exercising moderately; During the flu season, high-risk groups should try to avoid crowd gathering places.
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