Influenza vaccines have arrived in pharmacies and are presented in two versions, announced Beatrice Speteanu, pharmacist and member of the Association of Traditional Pharmacies and Practitioners from Romania.
Flu vaccines can be bought from pharmacies. Photo: Shutterstock
Dr. Gindrovel Dumitra, coordinator of the Vaccinology Group of the National Society of Family Medicine, said that in September, children who take this vaccine for the first time in their lives should be vaccinated. The general population can be vaccinated in October, the specialist also said, and prescriptions can be issued as early as this month.
How much do flu shots cost?
“In the pharmacy we have already received the first versions of the flu vaccine, the one that is administered by injection, for adults and for children, two versions at the moment, with this year’s strains, Vaxigrip and Influvac. We are waiting for the intranasal version for children to come. Prescriptions and requests have already started coming in, unfortunately most parents are still waiting for the intranasal one, which will be in a limited quantity, as it is every year”said Beatrice Speteanu.
Vaxigrip costs 68 lei, Influvac has an imposed price of 64.48 lei, and Fluenzul (the intranasal vaccine for children) will be slightly more expensive, pharmacists announce. “ Around 124 lei, but being there for children, most will take it in a 100% compensated regime”, the specialist also said.
Epidemiologist Emilian Popovici stated that last year we had a vaccine with four components: two A and two B viruses. This year, however, it was noted that one of the B strains is inactive and it was abandoned. “Practically, now we will find vaccines with three components in the pharmacy: two A viruses and only one B virus”the epidemiologist also specified.
Where can the vaccination be done?
Vaccination can be done in the family doctor’s office, but also in pharmacies. “There are vaccinating pharmacists. The advantages are that the cold chain is not lost, once the vaccine arrives in the pharmacy, the patient comes with a prescription either compensated or free, they wait the 20 minutes while it is taken outside at normal temperature, to be able to be administered. Thus, there is no risk of that vaccine being transported in conditions that are not optimal, and it is also much easier for the patient to come and choose a pharmacy where they can be vaccinated, to be more accessible to them, in their time slot “, said Beatrice Speteanu.
At the moment, the most accessible option is through family doctors’ offices, adds Dr. Gindrovel Dumitra to the idea. “Indeed, there is also the possibility of vaccination in pharmacies, but for purchased vaccines, that is, a person who buys his vaccine and does not receive a compensated prescription. The pharmacies that are enrolled in this program are still quite limited, but they exist”said the doctor.
Who can get vaccinated for free?
Children aged 6 months to 18 years, pregnant women, people over 45 years old and suffering from various chronic diseases can be vaccinated free of charge. The flu vaccine is also free for people over the age of 65, even if they have no medical conditions. In the case of those aged over 45 and under 65, who do not suffer from any disease and want to be immunized with the vaccine, 50% is compensated.
“The patient presents himself only with the compensated or free prescription in the pharmacy and picks up the vaccine. The advantages for children’s prescriptions are that they don’t even require a health card, pediatricians usually send the pdf prescriptions to the parents, who come with them to the pharmacy, we print them and thus everything is much easier, so that everyone has access to the vaccination”. says the pharmacist.
When should we vaccinate children?
The ideal vaccination period is between September 15 and October 15, doctors say. “Children have started to enter the community, now all kinds of viruses will appear, and we are not necessarily referring to those caused by the flu virus, so vaccination will be postponed very late. The child must be healthy at the time of vaccination, the best time is now, when there are no viruses, we are healthy. If the flu season is over and continues into February March, another dose may be needed, but now is the best time.”explained Beatrice Speteanu, president of AFTAP.
Dr. Gindrovel Dumitra, coordinator of the Vaccinology Group of the National Society of Family Medicine, explained that the flu vaccination campaign has already started and that in September, children who are getting the vaccine for the first time in their lives should be immunized. “There are already vaccines in pharmacies at this moment and the vaccination campaign has already started. In September, it is preferable to start vaccinating those children who require 2 doses, i.e. children between 6 months and 8 years who receive the flu vaccine for the first time in their life, and then protection in their case is obtained after the the second dose“, he specified. “The recommendation of the World Health Organization is that the protection should be obtained by the end of October, these are the terms we propose, so that when the first cases of flu appear, which usually happen in November – December, the protection will be there”, the specialist also declared.
Vaccination of adults in October
The general population, says Dr. Gindrovel Dumitra, should receive the flu vaccine starting in October. “It is not too early to do it, the optimal period is October, yes, we can prescribe the recipes now, but let’s do the vaccination sometime in October. Why? Because there is one more very important aspect. The peak of the season in Romania is somewhere in the months of January, February, March, maybe even April, and we need a protection that lasts until that time”, said the doctor.
But the vaccination campaign must continue throughout the flu season: “That is, those who cannot be vaccinated in October will be able to be vaccinated in November, December and beyond, January, February, but the further we move away from the start of the flu season, the less effective the vaccine will be because it is possible to get sick before receiving the vaccine”.
What is the protection given by the vaccine
“It is, without question, variable. I avoid giving a figure, because the protection is considered relative to a specific objective. For example, if you ask me how long the antibodies persist, it has been shown to be somewhere around 12 months. But the protection against infection, against severe forms or against death carries different values and is variable from year to year and is dependent on one more thing, very important, namely the ability of the virus to transform itself during a epidemics, so that, yes, we will have a larger number of cases somewhere in the spring and including vaccinated people, but the forms will not be severe”, explained Dr. Gindrovel Dumitra, family physician and coordinator of the SNMF Vaccinology Group.
