The planning of La Florida, facing the vaccination campaign against influenza, contemplates a technical and professional deployment in the four vaccination centers that exist today in the commune. In practice, each of these points will be reinforced with a total of 23 boxes to face this inoculation, which will be added to the eight that exist to combat covid-19.
In this context, from “La Florida Salud”, they are already getting ready for the vaccination campaign that begins this Wednesday, March 15. With the arrival of this milestone, a recurring question arises among the population: What are the target groups to cover when inoculating? According to what the health specialists explain, it is key to segment and give priority to certain groups, so as not to generate congestion in the vaccination centers.
The target groups are: public and private health personnel, people aged 65 and over; chronically ill, between 11 and 64 years old; pregnant women at any stage and boys and girls from 6 months to 5th grade (regardless of age).
With all this, at the national level, the coverage goal of the campaign is 85% of the target population. Only in the commune of La Florida, the number of people within this group is 152,866. And, for example, in 2022, 129,375 were vaccinated, reaching an inoculation percentage of 84.63%.
The flu: it appears suddenly
Likewise, the vaccination strategy contemplates relatives of premature infants with less than 37 weeks of gestation, for relatives of immunosuppressed infants less than 6 months of age, preschool and school education workers up to 5th grade, caregivers of older adults and ELEAM officials and poultry and pig farm workers.
According to what the Mayo Clinic indicates, influenza is an infection of the nose, throat, and lungs, which are part of the respiratory system. Influenza is generally known as the flu, but it is different from stomach flu viruses, which cause diarrhea and vomiting.
When it comes to flu symptoms, at first the flu may look like a common cold with a runny nose, sneezing, and sore throat.
Usually, the cold develops slowly. But the flu tends to come on suddenly. And while a cold can be a nuisance, people usually feel “worse” with the flu.
“It is a highly contagious disease that can be serious for specific groups of the population, of viral origin, but a virus other than covid, so even if you are vaccinated against the coronavirus, it does not prevent influenza,” explains the Unit nurse. Florida Health Technician, Edith Lazo.
four strategic points
The four vaccination centers in La Florida are located at the following points: Cesfam Villa O’Higgins (Santa Julia 870), SAR Los Quillayes (Julio César 11,400), Cesfam La Florida (Av. La Florida 6,015) and Espacio Dignidad (former Club Vive, El Ulmo, corner Las Pataguas). The idea is to ensure larger spaces that avoid crowds and, therefore, an increase in covid-19 infections.
“We want to assure Floridians and Floridians that they will be able to get vaccinated in complete safety at our inoculation centers. We will give them all the support and guidance so that they receive their vaccine safely and thus be able to be prepared for when the winter diseases arrive,” said the general secretary of the Florida Corporation, Janett Fernández.
It is known that, with the start of classes in educational establishments, the first colds begin to appear. And in a scenario in which the coronavirus pandemic is still latent, with 9,651 active cases, 2,730 daily cases, 64,323 deaths in total and with a positivity rate of 13.52%, continuing to maintain preventive health guidelines is crucial.
In this context, if people get vaccinated earlier, they will have more protection against influenza, considering that the first cases are already appearing in Santiago. It is a very good time to get vaccinated, before winter arrives, so that people have their perfect immune protection to face this epidemic that appears at the end of May or beginning of June.
Finally, how is the immunity of the influenza vaccine and that generated by the covid-19 vaccine linked? The person without vaccine immunity can get sick from both at the same time, which leads to a more serious illness.
People may be vaccinated against influenza from Monday to Thursday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Fridays, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
