The small number of vaccines at the beginning of the seasonal campaign forces users to reschedule their appointments at pharmacies.

The vaccines that will arrive in pharmacies in the first days of the vaccination campaign, which will begin on the 29th, will not be enough to satisfy the reservations already made by users, writes this Friday the Jornal de Notícias (JN).

According to JN, pharmacies were informed this week that 175,000 doses of flu vaccine and 205,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine are expected to arrive from the start of the campaign until October 10, which has already forced the postponement of applications.

However, the Executive Directorate of the National Health Service (DE-SNS) JN said there were no “significant variations” in supplies expected.

The biggest limitation, the newspaper writes, relates to flu vaccines and is “linked to a global supply problem.”

President of the National Pharmaceutical Association (ANF) Ema Paulino says available information indicates that from October 16 “a lot of doses will arrive.”

Pharmacists and managers from major pharmacy groups contacted by JN confirmed the restrictions and acknowledged that supply uncertainty in the coming weeks was “concerning” as “this is not the first time the industry has failed to meet JN’s vaccine distribution timelines.” flu”.

This year, for the first time, pharmacies will be able to vaccinate users aged 60 and older with both vaccines at the same time or separately.

According to JN, each pharmacy has been told how many Covid and flu vaccines it will receive between September 29 and October 10 to better manage reserves, and there are significant differences. Asked whether this discrepancy could cast doubt on joint vaccination, Ema Paulino disagrees: “The fact that the numbers do not match does not bother us, because we have feedback that there are people who prefer to be vaccinated separately.”

In response to the newspaper, DE-SNS calls the high demand for users of routine vaccinations in pharmacies as a “very positive fact” and guarantees that “no significant deviations” in supplies are expected.

“The calendar is in line with the capacity of pharmaceutical laboratories to supply vaccines to various countries, as well as the capacity of vaccination of health care facilities and community pharmacies,” he explains, adding that the vaccination plan planned for the next eight to 10 weeks “should be completed without appropriate restrictions.” .

According to the decree of the General Directorate of Health, the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 and influenza, which begins on September 29, covers people aged 60 years and older, who will be vaccinated for the first time this year in pharmacies. nursing home residents, health care workers, nursing home workers, and chronically ill patients.

This vaccination will take place simultaneously in community pharmacies (for people aged 60 and over) and in NHS healthcare settings (for people under 60 and with high-risk medical conditions).

Regarding the possibility of extending seasonal vaccination to age groups up to 60 years, the coordinator of the Technical Committee on Vaccination, Luis Graça, speaking to the Parliamentary Health Committee this week, acknowledged that this hypothesis can be considered as long as it does not harm high-risk groups .