By The SUN
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| POLO will give free flu jabs to qualified persons every Sunday and Tuesday starting on Oct 9 |
Health officials again issued calls on Friday for people to
get vaccinated against the flu ahead of the onset of winter, saying people who
come down with it and Covid-19 at the same time, could suffer severe symptoms.
The call came at a press conference, during which the Centre
for Health Protection also reported 4,369 new Covid-19 infections on Friday,
including 386 imported cases.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, in coordination with private clinic Shoebill Health Care, will start giving free flu vaccinations to people aged 50 and above this coming Sunday, Oct. 9, and all Sundays thereafter, until Nov 27.
There will also be vaccination sessions on Tuesdays starting on Oct 11, and all the way to Nov. 29.
Booking is required. For additional information, check out the poster above or call POLO at 5529 1880.
Dr Thomas Tsang, honorary consultant at the Department of Health, said the time
might be ripe for a flu outbreak this winter, as the Covid vaccinations and the
mask-wearing in the past two years have kept the seasonal ailment at bay.
“We want to get as many people as possible to have SIV
(seasonal influenza vaccine). The reason is we have an outbreak it will be
serious as we were not exposed to it in the past two years,” Tsang said.
He also said the vaccination figure for flu for the same
period had been low, adding to the worry.
"We have never been hit by surges of both flu and
Covid-19 at the same time, but it may happen this year. You can imagine it will
bring significant pressure to our hospitals," he said.
A serious flu outbreak in the past could cause between 300
and 400 deaths, he said, so one could only imagine how bad it could get if
patients get infected with Covid-19 at the same time.
The same call was made by Chief Executive John Lee
yesterday, as he and several of his top officials had SIV to emphasize its
importance.
A government program to provide free flu shots to people
aged 50 and above, children between six months and 12 years, pregnant women as
well as the disabled, was launched at the same time.
Tsang said people should not be wary about getting the flu
vaccine as it has been proven safe for most people, including the elderly and children
as young as six months.
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| Tsang says the flu jab is safe for most people |
Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection backed
Tsang’s warning of a more serious flu season this year.
"There's scientific evidence showing that if a person
is co-infected with both Covid and influenza, there will be increased risk in
death and hospitalization requiring ventilation support," he said.
At the same time, Au noted that the number of local infections and hospitalizations
had reached a plateau in recent days, with no significant further drop in
cases.
He said this indicates that the immunity that most people
received from vaccinations or previous infection is beginning to wane, which
should put them on guard for a possible rebound in cases in the coming months.
Dr Larry Lee of the Hospital Authority said the drop in the
caseload has allowed hospitals to resume 80% of their outpatient services, and
more beds are now being allocated for non-Covid patients.
However, he said the hospitals are not relaxing their guard.
“Even if we get hit by both Covid-19 and seasonal flu we
should be able to cope,” he said.
The doctors showed through graphs how Covid cases are on the
upswing again in some places, particularly the United Kingdom
and Singapore,
where a new variant, BA.2.75, has caused the daily tally to double in recent
days.
The CHP said it is closely monitoring the
situation, but believes the current measures are enough to prevent the new
variants from entering the community.
However, Au admitted that the number of imported
cases has risen in the past month. From around 1.5 percent of the total
infections in September, the imported cases now make up around 3 percent of the
total.
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