Entering autumn, as the temperature drops, the influenza vaccination of autumn and winter has been put on the agenda by many people. Against the backdrop of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the demand for vaccination this year is higher than before. Will the phenomenon of "hard to get a shot" appear?
Data picture: People are vaccinated with influenza vaccine. Photo by Zhang Jiarui, China News Service,
Influenza vaccines have been launched in many places one after another
From November to March of the following year is the peak season for influenza.
Since it usually takes 2 to 4 weeks after influenza vaccination to produce antibodies with protective levels in the human body, September to October each year is the best vaccination period for influenza vaccines.
reporter found that at present, influenza vaccines have been launched in many provinces across the country.
For example, the 60,000 influenza vaccine dispatched by Gansu Province in the first round have been completed before the end of August. On September 1, the first dose of domestic live attenuated nasal spray in Shandong Province has also been vaccinated. In addition, Beijing also launched the bidding for influenza vaccine procurement from 2020 to 2021 in August.
From the perspective of local policies, this year, many cities have also given discounts for some special groups.
According to a notice recently issued by the Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it is clear that elderly people over 70 years old can receive influenza vaccine for free.
Xiangyang City also announced that from September to October, the city will carry out centralized influenza vaccination for students and kindergartens of all types of schools in the city, and the special work of checking, recharging and replacing the vaccination certificates for children and students will be completed before the end of October.
Data picture: During the high incidence of influenza, the number of children in hospitals increases. China News Service reporter Liu Wenhua Photo by
Why is it so important to get the flu vaccine this year?
The new crown pneumonia epidemic is spreading around the world, which also makes the flu prevention and control in autumn and winter particularly attracting attention.
According to WHO's monitoring this year, three of the four most prevalent influenza virus strains in the northern hemisphere have changed.
In August this year, a World Health Organization official publicly stated that due to the indistinguishable symptoms of COVID-19 and influenza, and limited medical resources, countries should increase the vaccination rate of influenza vaccines, resist the flu, and focus on fighting the epidemic.
In China, Wang Chen, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, an expert in respiratory and critical care medicine, and others all suggested that the most effective prevention method is to receive influenza vaccines in a timely and universal manner and to expand the vaccinated population more fully.
In response to the influenza prevention and control situation in this autumn and winter, vaccine expert Tao Lina analyzed in an interview with China News Service reporters, "The changes in influenza virus strains are currently predicted, which does not mean that these strains will definitely be prevalent. At present, although the strains change every year, they are generally small changes. If a large mutation is really predicted, they will be on the verge of on the battlefield."
Tao Lina emphasized that in this autumn and winter, the reason why influenza vaccination is important mainly considers two factors: First, from the perspective of the entire epidemic control, if patients have been vaccinated with influenza vaccine and then develop fever, they can consider less influenza factors to reduce interference with the judgment of the epidemic; second, there is evidence that if a dual infection of new coronary pneumonia and influenza occurs, the symptoms will be aggravated.
He said that compared with other types of vaccines, the protection rate of influenza vaccines is relatively low. The current protection rate of influenza vaccines is generally 60%-70%, which means that in order to form group protection, the vaccination rate of vaccines is very high.
Data picture: The Third Division of the Xinjiang Corps Tuoyun Ranch received the flu vaccine for free. Ge Mengli Photographed by
The demand for vaccination has increased. Is the flu vaccine sufficient?
Statistics show that in the past, the domestic influenza vaccination rate was around 2% per year, far less than the vaccination rate in some Western countries. However, due to the impact of the epidemic this year, people's willingness to be vaccinated has increased significantly.
"Last year I only gave the flu vaccine to my children at home, but this year I want the whole family to get the vaccination as much as possible, hoping that this will reduce the risk of going to the hospital." Ms. Chen, a Beijing citizen, said in an interview with reporters that she has been paying close attention to the start time of the flu vaccine in Beijing recently and hopes to make an appointment as soon as possible.
Zhang Xiaoshu, director of the Immunization Planning Institute of Gansu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, previously stated that the peak of vaccination in Gansu Province this year has arrived early, and the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic is an important reason.
In Shanghai, the disease control department initially predicts that the demand for influenza vaccination this fall and winter will increase by about 50% compared with previous years.
Under such a general background, whether the supply and demand contradictions will arise this year's vaccination has also become the focus of attention.
"The validity period of the vaccine is only one year. In the past, the vaccines produced by enterprises each year had a relatively high scrapping rate. Enterprises were worried that the vaccines produced could not be used, so they dared not produce too much." Tao Lina explained that in the past, professionals paid great attention to influenza vaccination, but the public did not pay enough attention, so the vaccination situation of domestic vaccines was not ideal, which also led to low production capacity of enterprises.
However, in terms of vaccine supply this year, it is expected to increase significantly compared with previous years.
According to statistics on the batch issuance of biological products released by the China Food and Drug Inspection Institute, as of September 8, influenza vaccines have been issued in total, including three types of trivalent influenza vaccines, quadrivalent influenza vaccines and newly launched freeze-dried nasal spray influenza live attenuated vaccines.
In addition, compared with last year, the number of companies that received influenza vaccine batch issuance this year has increased to 7.
Tao Lina revealed that judging from the information reported by influenza vaccine companies, it is expected that the total issuance of influenza vaccines this year will at least double compared with last year. However, experts believe that whether there will be a shortage of supply depends on the actual vaccination demand this year.
Data picture: A hospital's pharmacy window. Zhang Tianfu Photo
About influenza vaccination, you need to know these!
- Population with priority for influenza vaccination
In principle, all people who are 6 months old and above who are willing to get influenza vaccine and have no contraindications can get influenza vaccine.
recommends that the following key groups be given priority for vaccination: children aged 6 months to 5 years old; elderly people aged 60 and above; patients with chronic diseases; medical staff.
- The timing of influenza vaccine
Usually, after 2 to 4 weeks of influenza vaccine, antibodies with protective levels are produced. It is recommended that individuals complete vaccination before the epidemic season. For subjects who have not been vaccinated before the epidemic season, they can also be vaccinated throughout the epidemic season.
The protective effect after vaccination can last for 6 to 8 months, gradually weakening over time, and the influenza virus is prone to mutation, so it is recommended to get influenza vaccination every year.
——How to choose different vaccines?
The types and numbers of toxic strains contained in
and quadrivalent vaccines are different. The quadrivalent influenza vaccine has one more type than the trivalent one, and the protection range is wider than the trivalent one, but the trivalent vaccine is more economical and affordable.
nasal spray vaccine is a newly launched vaccine, and is a process-based attenuated vaccine. The vaccine contains live viruses and is vaccinated through nasal spray, which further simulates the process of natural infection.
No matter what type of vaccine, it has a preventive effect on influenza, and people can choose the flu vaccine that suits them according to their actual needs.
——The protection rate of influenza vaccine is not 100%
The protection rate of influenza vaccine is not 100%. Therefore, it is still possible to get influenza after getting the influenza vaccine.
The public should still pay attention to maintaining good personal hygiene habits in autumn and winter, including: wearing masks, washing hands frequently, paying attention to respiratory etiquette (covering your mouth and nose with tissues when coughing or sneezing), opening windows for ventilation, eating a balanced diet, and exercising in moderation; during the flu epidemic season, high-risk people should try to avoid going to places where people gather.
(Source: China News Network)
