A total of 223,575 people have been vaccinated in the health centers of the Canary Islands during the first month of the flu vaccination campaign, which is 42.47% more than in the same period of the previous season, in which the number of doses administered amounted to 156,930.
"This high participation is evident in the results of weeks three and five of the campaign, in which 60,792 new people were vaccinated in just fourteen days," say the Regional Government's Ministry of Health.
By islands, during the first month of the campaign, 95,989 people had been vaccinated in Tenerife, 44.88% more than in the 2019 campaign; 87,257 in Gran Canaria (33.64% more than in 2019), 14,440 in Lanzarote (67.50% more), 10,348 (43.64% more), 10,278 in Fuerteventura (76.60%), 3,668 in La Gomera (41.62% more) and 1,595 in El Hierro (38.70% more).
According to the Ministry, the increases achieved, above 50%, in the health areas of Fuerteventura (76.60%) and Lanzarote (67.50%) stand out, although significant increases, greater than 30%, have been recorded in all the islands in the accumulated number of vaccines administered in the first month of the campaign compared to the same period of the previous one.
Vaccines acquired
The Ministry of Health acquired an initial batch of 297,000 vaccines for the 2020-2021 flu season, an amount that has been increased with the purchase of another 23,000 doses of the tetravalent vaccine, for people between 6 months and 64 years of age, given the good reception that the flu campaign has had among the Canarian population.
With this extension, the total number of vaccines acquired this year by the Ministry amounts to 320,000 units, for an amount of 1,886,850 euros, to which are added another 151,836 doses provided by the Ministry of Health, which raises the final figure of vaccines available to the population at risk to 471,836.
The vaccine is recommended for all those over 60 years of age, chronically ill people of any age and their caregivers, pregnant women, healthcare personnel and personnel from other professions that are also essential for the community, such as police and firefighters.
This year, experts insist on the importance of vaccination against the flu given the coexistence of the seasonal virus with the Covid-19 pandemic, with the aim of reducing its incidence, reducing mortality and morbidity associated with the flu and its impact on the community.
The flu vaccination is carried out by appointment, calling 012 or its numbers without additional charges 922 470012 and 928 301012, designing a clean circuit for access to vaccination.