Junta warns peak flu season has not yet been reached and urges people in southern Spain to get vaccinated

The Junta de Andalucía's regional minister of health Antonio Sanz continues to urge people to get vaccinated against 'flu to facilitate the protection of vulnerable groups. On Friday, Sanz announced that the "upward phase of the flu epidemic wave for this season" is still developing, which means that the peak has not been reached and incidence will continue growing.

The flu rate at the end of last week stood at 38.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 33.5 the previous week. "The situation by province is very similar," the regional minister said. Almeria has gone from a rate of 26.7 cases to 26.5; Cadiz from 48.9 to 63.4; Cordoba from 37.1 to 50.2; Granada from 35.3 to 50.9; Huelva from 25.4 to 30.6; Jaén from 30.4 to 26.2; Malaga from 26.4 to 18.9; Seville from 41.7 to 44.3, according to official figures from the regional government.

Despite the rise from one week to another, the regional minister said that there is no cause for alarm, because the upward trend is something "expected and normal" and the Junta is "prepared". He added that Andalucía is "ahead of the Ministry of Health" thanks to having activated the specific regional action plan, which includes measures to be taken by health centres so that they "can respond quickly to specific increases in demand".

The high frequency plan is currently in phase 0 in Andalucía as a whole, although "there may be peaks of demand in some centres that trigger other phases, but these are resolved by applying the measures included in the plan".

Sanz reminded the public and healthcare professionals that the use of masks is recommended "in all health centres in Andalucía" and locally "mandatory" in centres "that have activated the high frequency plan on at least three occasions in the previous week".

Sanz also highlighted that 1,843,593 flu vaccines have already been administered in Andalucía. In addition, there have been 759,322 vaccinations against coronavirus. According to the regional minister, these figures "have surpassed last year's vaccination in just over two months of the campaign". By provinces, 148,595 people have received the flu vaccine in Almeria; 231,722 in Cadiz; 196,310 in Cordoba; 227,926 in Granada; 102,162 in Huelva; 172,766 in Jaén; 331,805 in Malaga; and 432,311 in Seville.

Sanz once again thanked health professionals, especially nurses, for "their magnificent work" and residents for "the responsibility they have shown by getting vaccinated".

During the last vaccination day without prior appointment this year (17 December), some 26,503 doses were administered. The regional minister wanted to particularly highlight the number of parents who have been immunised to protect their infants born since 1 April against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes bronchiolitis. Thanks to this, the parents of 39,433 infants have been vaccinated, which covers 94.5% of babies born in the last eight months.