Yizeth Arellano
Latin News Agency for Medicine and Public Health
In an interview with Medicine and Public Health, Dr. Ángel Rivera, director of the Department of Health’s vaccination program, said that vaccinating against the flu will minimize the risk of developing a coinfection if you suffer from covid-19, as both diseases are highly contagious and active at the same time.
“At this historic moment of the pandemic, it is important and imperative that all people who have not yet been vaccinated for the flu do so. It is a highly contagious disease, which just like covid is transmitted by coughing or sneezing and the scattered drops of an infected person transmit it and healthy people aspire to be droplets and acquire the disease, “said Dr. Rivera.
Like Covid-19 influenza in previous years has been a source of news, and concern on the part of health agencies in the country. From their experience, vaccines are an excellent option to prevent diseases from reaching the homes of Puerto Ricans.
“10 years ago we had the H1N1 pandemic so look at what we are now in 2020 and the covid-19 pandemic. It is important that those who were not vaccinated against the flu had it, because although we know that we will have the covid-19 vaccine that has already been approved, it is possible that the person may have a coinfection, in which the person has the flu. and in covid-19 adhesion ”explained Dr. Rivera.
The doctor explained that the vaccine can be applied from 6 months onwards, that no insurance is required to do so and that it has no cost, for those who will attend the special vaccination trip in the brand new Flu Marathon. This event is led by the Coalition for Vaccination and Health Promotion Voces, the Department of Health of Puerto Rico and has the assistance of the National Guard, which makes the event safe and people can attend accompanied by their family nucleus.
“Basically all people who are healthy should be vaccinated, but the most vulnerable and that can be complicated in case of not doing so to children under 7 years or less. The pediatric community and the parents of the children are being called because here 52% of positive cases of influenza are under the age of 19 because they were traditionally the ones who had the most contact in schools, ”explained Dr. Rivera.
The health professional also made a call to pregnant women and indicated the value of flu vaccination in the gestation period. “At any time during pregnancy, the pregnant woman must be vaccinated so that her baby cannot receive the vaccine until she is 6 months old. When that baby is born and is in the family environment, the whole environment that will take care of him, mom, dad and whoever is going to take care of him must be vaccinated because he protects that newborn. ”Concluded Dr. Rivera.