More than 83% of people aged 65 years and older and more than half of healthcare workers will be vaccinated against influenza in the 2022/2023 flu season, final vaccinometer data show.
According to the final data that Lusa had access to, as it did last year, Portugal exceeded the 75% influenza vaccination target proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the vaccinometer, 83.2% of people aged 65 and over were vaccinated, which is 3.8 percentage points more than the results of the 3rd wave of the vaccinometer, the same happens to 52.6% of health workers who are in direct contact with sick. an indicator that decreased compared to the previous influenza season (64.4%).
In the older group – 80 years and older – 87.5% of people have already been vaccinated, and 58.3% – on the recommendation of a doctor.
Information released this Monday also shows that 33.4% of Portuguese aged 60 to 64 (up 6.3 percentage points) are already protected by the flu vaccine. Vaccination coverage of pregnant women is 69.2%.
The final data from the vaccinometer, which tracks influenza vaccination through the influenza season through questionnaires, also shows a vaccination rate of 6% among the population aged 18 to 59.
As for the chronically ill, 90.5% of patients with diabetes and 85.6% of patients with cardiovascular diseases will be vaccinated. In the group of people with diabetes, 52.3% were vaccinated because they received an appointment notification via SNS.
According to the final vaccinometer data promoted by the Portuguese Society of Pneumology (SPP) and the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine (APMGF) with the support of the biopharmaceutical company Sanofi, the main reasons that prompted people to get vaccinated were medical advice (29.2%) and notification of an appointment through social networks. networks (28.3%). 22.3% of people were vaccinated as part of a labor initiative and 16.6% on their own initiative, because they always try to protect themselves.
APMGF President Nuno Jacinto, quoted in the statement, said the figures were “very satisfactory,” stressing that “the results for the fourth consecutive year show that Portugal has met and exceeded the target set by the WHO for vaccinating people over 65 years of age.”
“The findings are also very positive for chronically ill patients and pregnant women. Taken together, these results show that the Portuguese have confidence in influenza vaccination and recognize its importance and value, especially in relation to vulnerable groups and risk,” he said. said.
Nuno Jacinto also recalls that “high vaccination coverage has a direct impact on protecting against influenza, reducing morbidity and preventing chains of transmission, but it also has huge benefits in reducing the complications of influenza, for example, by preventing the occurrence of cardiovascular events or the decompensation of chronic diseases. “.
Launched in 2009, the vaccinometer tracks influenza vaccination during the influenza season through questionnaires distributed to a sample of the population, defined for certain groups, created in accordance with the recommendations of the Directorate General of Health (DGS).
Influenza vaccination, which began in September, is recommended by the DGS for everyone 65 years of age and older, children six months of age and older with chronic comorbidities, the chronically ill, immunocompromised and pregnant women, and healthcare workers . and other care providers.