By Andrea Hargraves 
Portugal’s health authorities must now begin planning for the possibility that, in the fall, It is necessary to perform three vaccination procedures simultaneouslyGive Covid-19 vaccines to those who have not yet received them, revaccinate those who need a booster dose against this disease and vaccinate vulnerable groups against influenza.
Thiago Correa, a specialist in international health at the Institute of Health and Tropical Medicine (IHMT), argued in remarks to the observer that this It should be a source of concern to the competent authorities because it symbolizes a structural change in vaccination plansVaccination against two diseases at the same time and possibly at the same site. Until last year, we only had massive flu shots because vaccines against Covid-19 didn’t exist yet. Now it can be more complicated.”
This is why no effort should be made بذل End the vaccination process against Covid-19 at least by the end of September. This avoids such significant overlap in vaccination campaigns; Providing human resources for influenza vaccination (many health professionals are assigned to Covid-19 vaccination centers) and eventually to the revaccination campaign.
This can be a daunting task. Vice Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo, in charge of the Covid-19 vaccination task force, warned the Health Committee of the Assembly of the Republic that Portugal You may miss the date set for reaching 70% of people vaccinated with at least one dose – August 8.
Vaccination starts from age 18 on July 4, but the 70% target may be delayed until August 20
The military said the vaccine shortage, which it admitted it was concerned about, would delay the initially set goal by two weeks. The new date set by the health authorities is now August 20: “We will use all the stocks we have to achieve this goal by August 8, but In the end it might be laterAnd that 70% may not even be enough: some studies suggest that because of the delta variant, which is more transmissible, it would be necessary to reach 80% of those vaccinated to see group immunity against Covid-19.
Thiago Correa stresses that the fact that flu season has infected so few people in the past year, should not comfort health authorities. The Low prevalence of influenza virus in 2020 means fewer people have been exposed to it. “The flu can have a huge impact [em 2021] Because in the past year there has been little infection and contamination with the virus, the expert explained, noting that the scientific community has not yet reached conclusions on this matter.
Pedro Madurera, an immunologist at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, agrees It “makes sense” to start planning the intersection of vaccination campaigns Against Covid-19 and against influenza, in time and space, because “it is not unreasonable to think that the peak of influenza and the peak of Covid-19 can overlap”. The concern about revaccination is real, especially for those who have had vaccines that exposed the organism only to parts of the virus (eg Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca) and not all (eg the Chinese CoronaVac or the Portuguese developed Amanthep).
COVID-19. A Portuguese vaccine is ready for clinical trials but awaiting public support
Those who have had vaccines that provide only a portion of the genetic or structure information of the virus to the immune system may be more susceptible to variants with mutations at exactly these sites – something that could affect the vaccines’ ability to induce such a strong immune response. on the other side , Has been exposed to the virus completely, it should be more protected if it comes into contact with a new species Because he has developed antibodies against all parts of the virus. If some are unable to stand up to the invader, others will be too.
When asked by the observer about the safety of giving two different vaccines at the same time, Pedro Madureira explained that it “makes sense to combine vaccines” because, in the past, this was not a health risk – it was common to do this in children, for example. The biggest problem may be the adjuvants used in the prescriptions for these vaccines Ingredients added to vaccines (which are not always the same for each) to stimulate the immune system to stimulate a faster and more powerful immune response.
Since adjuvants stimulate inflammatory responses, an excessive concentration of these substances in the body can worsen the reaction in the body. That’s why, while I don’t foresee any problems pairing the Covid-19 vaccine with the flu vaccine, you “should consider”:Regulatory authorities have to speak up. The first people to test this combination will have to be followed more rigorously,” the immunologist pleaded.
The expert reactions requested by the observer come after a member of عضو Joint Committee for Immunization and Immunization, a panel of scientists that advises UK health departments, said health authorities should prepare for Possibility of having to administer doses of influenza and Covid-19 vaccines at the same visit For immunization centers – especially if there is a need for an annual immunization booster, especially for the most vulnerable groups.
Adam Finn, president of the Bristol Vaccine Center, admitted that experts do too Worried that this winter will be marked by a big flu pandemic – Although this was not what happened in 2020, because the measures implemented against Covid-19 also help reduce the transmission of other respiratory viruses, such as influenza. However, there is no guarantee that everything in 2021 will go as it was a year ago.
Flu season usually arrives in the northern hemisphere between September and October, but it passes through the southern hemisphere (which currently lives in fall and winter), allowing us to predict what will happen on this side of the globe a few months later. in mid-June, Australian scientists report that influenza ‘does not exist anywhere’Ian Barr, deputy director of the Center for Collaborative Research at flu From the World Health Organization (WHO).
While in May 2019 Australia recorded 30,000 confirmed cases of influenza, there have been only 71 cases this year. From January 1 to June 30, 2021, only 365 cases of influenza were confirmed in Australia – 57 times fewer than the 20,819 infections recorded in the same period. Although last year’s stats were already very low – the data indicated 231 cases in May 2020 – the numbers surprised experts: The authorities were ready to receive more patients because the movement of people is also greater Now than last year.
Australian health authorities assume there may be more people infected with the flu virus than has been officially identified, but because many travelers are required to quarantine, cases are countless. This is good news for health services, which are less burdensome, but It could bring complications to the northern hemisphere.
Scientists rely on the sequences made in southern countries of influenza viruses detected in collected samples to create vaccines against the most active strains. With fewer samples to be sequenced and shared with the scientific community, this formula becomes more complex. Ian Barr specifically warned of this difficulty: “Usually, [a formulação da vacina contra a gripe] It has a strong bias in the Southern Hemisphere samples. It will be very difficult to make a judgment about what will happen with this vaccine If we don’t get more samples in the Southern Hemisphere.”