According to the results of the first wave of the Vacinómetro, an initiative of the Portuguese Society of Pulmonology and the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine, 49.7% of people aged 85 and over received the vaccine during the first month of the vaccination campaign.

Among the groups included in the recommendations of the Directorate-General of Health (DGS), the Vacinómetro indicates a cross-sectional increase in vaccination coverage compared to the previous year.

According to the survey, 39% of people aged 65 and over and 44.6% of people with chronic diseases have already received the flu vaccine, compared to around 32% last year at the same time.

Priority groups

Also, within the priority groups, 32.8% of healthcare professionals with direct patient contact have already been vaccinated, up from 18.5% in October 2024, and 16.1% of people between 60 and 64 years of age (up from 14.4% at the same time in 2024).

The only exception to this upward trend is pregnant women: in October 2024, 54.2% had been vaccinated, a percentage that has now dropped to 38.6%.

Among children between 6 and 24 months of age, for whom free vaccination was extended this year, 26.2% have already received the flu vaccine.

More than half of those vaccinated (62%) opted for co-administration with the COVID-19 vaccine.

Medical recommendations

As in previous years, a doctor's recommendation remains the main driver of vaccination, especially in cases of pregnancy and chronic illness, cited by seven in 10 respondents.

On the other hand, about a quarter of respondents said they got vaccinated on their own initiative, while 14.6% cited a work-related initiative, 9.4% cited an appointment notification from the National Health Service, and 2.9% cited knowing they were part of a risk group for a particular condition.

Region by region

By region, the Vacinómetro shows that, of those 65 and older vaccinated, 47.8% are in Alentejo, 44.9% in Centro, 39.7% in Lisbon, and 39.2%, regions where vaccination coverage in the first month of the campaign increased compared to last year. On the other hand, fewer people have been vaccinated in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (23.8% compared to 56% last year) and the Algarve (14.8% compared to 18.9% last year). While in the Azores, despite remaining among the lowest (17.1%), vaccination coverage more than doubled compared to October 2024, when only 7.1% of the population included in the DGS recommendations had received the vaccine.

The seasonal vaccination campaign against influenza and COVID-19 began on September 23 and is currently underway in pharmacies and units of the National Health System.