Concern as f lu vaccines order would only cover 40% of the population
THE HSE has only ordered 200,000 more adult flu vaccines than last year despite the extra threat the coronavirus poses.
The Department of Health confirmed that 1.35million flu vaccines for adults and 600,000 for children have been ordered for the fastapproaching flu season.
The total of adult and child vaccines available equates to just under 40% of the population.
Independent TD Denis Naughten, who queried the Department of Health on the matter, said that the HSE should have
‘The symptoms are so similar’
ordered more as the ‘only way’ our health service will cope is if there is population-wide immunity to the common flu to rule out confusion over the two viruses which, he said, have ‘common symptoms’. Mr Naughten added: ‘The only way our health service can manage a surge in Covid-19 infection this winter is if we can rule out the possibility that the patient has flu, as the symptoms are so similar.
‘This can only be achieved by a populationwide vaccination programme against the flu virus and the public must be actively encouraged to have the flu jab, and children the flu drops, this winter. However, if people go to the effort of protecting themselves, our older people and our health service by availing of the vaccine, the very last thing we need is to have them put on a waiting list due to a lack of the availability of vaccine.’
However, professor of international health and consultant on infectious diseases Sam McConkey said it is difficult to get the public to take the flu jab.
‘Our past experience has been that a lot of people for various reasons [don’t take the vaccine] – some are just too busy, some are sort of running around and maybe it’s not a top priority and they kind of like it in theory, but in practice they just don’t get it while some others are worried about it,’ he explained.
Even for hospital staff, who are at more of a risk to the common flu, it is hard to get them all to take it, he said, adding: ‘Ordering things is difficult because if you order too much and it goes off then you waste your money.’
In a statement last night, the HSE said of its flu vaccine programme: ‘Population estimates are taken from the Office of National Statistics and the estimated number of people who are in one of the risk groups is taken from survey data, as there are no chronic disease registries in Ireland. Healthcare and social care workers are estimated from the Census and pregnant women from births data. Based on this, 1.4million doses of Quadrivalent Inactivated Influenza Vaccine have been secured and delivery will commence early September to GPs, pharmacies, hospitals etc.’
The Department said
‘Expected to be sufficient’
the HSE has also ordered 600,000 doses of the Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine, which is delivered via nasal drops and will be made available to all children aged two to 12.
‘The quantities of vaccine ordered are expected to be sufficient to meet even an increased level of demand as a result of Covid,’ it said, adding there are no plans to make flu vaccinations mandatory at present.