An additional 35,929 people received flu shots in the past week.

A further 35,929 people were vaccinated against flu last week, more than 2.4 million since the start of the vaccination campaign, according to the latest seasonal vaccination report from the Directorate General of Health (DGS).

From September 29 last year to January 28, 2,444,019 people were vaccinated against influenza and 1,931,286 with the seasonal booster vaccine against Covid-19.

Influenza vaccination coverage among people over 60 years of age is 65.38%, and among those aged 60 to 69 years it does not exceed 51.14%. The World Health Organization recommends 75% coverage for people over 65 years of age.

Pharmacies administered the most vaccines, with more than 1.3 million against Covid-19 and more than 1.7 million against influenza.

More than 41,771 people have been vaccinated against Covid-19 and a further 35,929 against flu in pharmacies and the NHS in the last seven days.

The DHS has lowered the age limit for the flu vaccination to 50, and the chief executive has already admitted he could lower it further to cover people aged 45 and over. However, he stressed that at the moment the priority continues to be vaccination of citizens aged 60 years and older.

Last week, six Portuguese medical societies came together to insist on the importance of flu vaccination, which they consider “the backbone of efforts” to reduce the impact of the disease, and to reaffirm that the vaccines are safe and effective.

A joint document with some recommendations to mitigate the impact of influenza every year in Portugal involves the Portuguese Society of Pulmonology (SPP), the Portuguese Society of Cardiology (SPC), the Portuguese Society of Diabetology (SPD), the Portuguese Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SPDIMC), the Portuguese Society of Geriatrics and of Gerontology (SPGG) and the Center for Geriatric Research of the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine (NEGERMI-SPMI).

Finally, given all the scientific evidence collected, the organizations warn that influenza vaccination “significantly reduces hospitalizations and mortality in immunocompromised patients and in patients with respiratory diseases” such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

“These high-risk groups should be vaccinated annually, and health care providers should ensure that vaccines are administered in a timely manner, including at hospital discharge,” they emphasize.