Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Health, Antonio Lacerda Sales, said on Friday that Portugal will purchase another 146,000 doses of flu vaccines.
This announcement was made by the government official in statements to “TVI24”. He announced, “At this time 2021/2022, we will be doing a 7% boost, plus 146,000 doses so we can prepare for this situation.”
A reference “to be released in a short time” is being prepared, Lacerda Sales said, in order to strengthen epidemiological surveillance and “above all” seasonal influenza vaccination.
However, the official stressed that the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic “should not be forgotten, on the contrary.”
“This year the flu was left over, because of the range of barrier methods we have. There has been a learning experience here and that is why I think we should use that learning in the future, so we can be more protective,” he said.
With this new purchase, says TVI24, Portugal is expected to receive a total of 2.2 million vaccines, in a continuous boost since 2016.
The General Directorate of Health, in a statement, confirmed the purchase of 146,000 doses, adding that “the influenza vaccination campaign will begin early next October, with the vaccination of priority groups.”
“Phase 1 will again favor residential home users, home support services, temporary shelters and RNCCI units, followed by health professionals and pregnant women, which are also priorities,” reads the same note.
As in previous years, the DGS explains, “The vaccines available in Portugal will be quadrivalent, including 4 types of influenza viruses (2 type A and 2 type B)”.
Remember that on the NHS, “the vaccine is free for citizens aged 65 or over, for people staying or in hospital settings in institutions, for people with some specific diseases, and for NHS health workers and firefighters”.
