According to the results of the third wave of Vacinómetro, an initiative of the Portuguese Society of Pneumology (SPP) and the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine (APMGF) that has been monitoring the flu vaccination coverage rate in real time since 2009, 87.1% of people aged 85 or over have already been vaccinated, 47.8% of whom did so on the recommendation of their doctor.

Speaking to Lusa, Jorge Ferreira, president of the SPP, described the results as “very encouraging” and a “robust outcome” for vaccination, noting that the recommended vaccine for this age group is a high-dose vaccine, about four times higher than the normal vaccine in terms of the antigen load it provides, which is associated with “much greater effectiveness in preventing complications”.

“It provides a stronger immune response, better protection against the most feared complications of influenza, clearly reduces hospitalisations due to influenza, and is suitable for people who have a weaker immune response,” explained the expert, who believes that the results of the vaccine meter reflect “the success of making the vaccine available free of charge to this population.”

Although it is known that this year’s flu virus variant included in the vaccine is different from the one currently circulating, Jorge Ferreira assures us: “All people who have been vaccinated with the vaccine adopted globally (...) have a much better response than those who have not been vaccinated.”

The data show that Portugal is getting closer to the 75% target set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for vaccinating people aged 65 and over, with this estimate now at 72.6%.

“We are very close to the proposed target of 75% that the World Health Organisation is aiming for, but we are clearly well above even the average figures for the rest of Europe,” he said.

Admitting that the ambition is to go further, Jorge Ferreira expressed his conviction that the country is “on an excellent path”, taking into account "all the fatigue that has been experienced and which has been widely commented on in relation to the vaccination process, a lot of misinformation that has been circulating and disinformation.

He pointed out that the sample evaluated in this third wave of the vaccine meter shows an increase in vaccination: “Last year, at this point, 47.4% of the population surveyed had been vaccinated, and now we have 60%.”

“And, for example, in specific groups such as healthcare professionals, last year we had 49.7%, and now we already have 62.9%,” he stressed.

The results also show that 71% of people with chronic diseases are also vaccinated. Of these, 75.6% of people with respiratory diseases have already received the flu vaccine, as have 75% of people with diabetes and 73.7% of people with cardiovascular disease.

According to the third wave of the vaccine meter, 62.9% of healthcare professionals in direct patient contact have also received the flu vaccine, as have 57.5% of pregnant women, with 82.8% doing so on their doctor's recommendation.

In contrast to the uptake among adults, the group of children aged 6-24 months is, to date, the least vaccinated, with a total of only 38.6%.

“Children naturally depend on their parents’ willingness to vaccinate them, so it is also important to emphasise that children are, in fact, a risk group for influenza,” says the president of the SPP.

As for vaccination intentions, the data show that 22.9% of unvaccinated people aged 85 or over still intend to get vaccinated, as do 22.1% of healthcare professionals and 13.9% of unvaccinated chronic patients.

As for the co-administration of the flu/COVID vaccine, the rate among recommended groups rose slightly, from 57% to 64%.