The cold comes and the flu comes together, cwhich has been clearly noticeable for a few weeks now. According to the ISSBased on the week of November 6th to 12th, the estimated cases of the flu-like syndrome are around 375,000, bringing the total to around 1,264,000 cases since monitoring began in early October. The family doctors know this very well and have recorded a particularly high turnout in the last few days in their studies.
The actual flu hasn’t really hit yet, but cases are increasing and it could be widespread in just a few weeks. The picture was drawn by LThe Italian Society of General Medicine and Primary Care. “However, with Covid the situation is different – explains President Simg, Claudio Cricelli-. Covid is difficult to track because the actual data related to people suffering from the disease is difficult to obtain. For the majority of patients, a diagnostic smear is not performed, also because the symptoms are often quite mild. However, we see that there is an increase and we expected it because, as with all respiratory diseases, transmission is easier when we arrive in winter and especially when we spend more time indoors.”
As we wait for the arrival of the most intense cold, There is a rush to vaccinate the frail, elderly and vulnerable, for which a flu vaccination such as the anti-Covid vaccination is strongly recommended. But The latest data from the Ministry of Health indicates that coverage is still too low for Covid (just over 3% of those over 60) due to the lack of use of the pharmacy channel in many regions. The protagonists of flu vaccinations are the family doctor’s practices, which are responsible for vaccination in 90-95% of cases. The anti-flu administrations are “in full swing,” specifies Cricelli. “And those who traditionally vaccinate themselves, that is, those over sixty years old, people with pathologies, the elderly and people at risk, have already received the vaccine. By this date, the majority of vaccinations will be carried out, so we family doctors in ten days at the latest Most of the vaccinations have been carried out.”
In many regions Furthermore, since those recommended to be vaccinated against Covid are in the same category as those recommended to be vaccinated against flu, The double vaccination takes place in the same session with a good response from patients. “This is now a consolidated procedure,” emphasizes Cricelli, who invites those who have not yet been vaccinated to do so as quickly as possible. “Protection against flu – underlines President Simg – occurs 10-15 days after vaccine administration. So the sooner you get vaccinated, the better. Anyone who gets vaccinated now will be protected at the beginning of December, so it is advisable to bring the vaccination forward and not wait until the last moment. But even if you remember it late, it’s still worth doing. The vaccines are here, there are sufficient quantities to cover all needs and wants.”