As the High Authority for Health (HAS) has recommended, the immunization campaign against seasonal flu will, this year, be concurrent with that against Covid-19. It will begin on October 15 in mainland France, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyana, the Ministry of Health indicated in mid-September. The FSPF detailed in a circular the different elements to have in mind to carry out this campaign.
What ordering methods?
Since September 23, vaccines have been available to order via the Public Health France platform, every week, Mondays and Tuesdays. Delivery is made on Thursday or Friday of the following week. During his weekly Live on September 27, Philippe Besset, president of the FSPF, urged his colleagues to establish “a small stock”without overstocking. “You will have [des vaccins] all the time of the campaign you can plan. There is a ten-week shelf life in the refrigerator, which covers the duration of the campaign. […] We will try to “move towards” and offer vaccination to everyone, unlike previous years”he declared, welcoming the favorable conditions this year to achieve “a good campaign”.
Who to vaccinate?
The groups recommended to be vaccinated are the same for influenza and Covid-19: people aged 65 and over, pregnant women, people with comorbidities from 6 months of age, immunocompromised people or those living in their surroundings as well as people at very high risk of serious illness. This does not prevent anyone wishing to benefit from a primary vaccination or a booster vaccination from being vaccinated against Covid-19, even if they are not among the people concerned by the recommendations. Pharmacy teams are also invited to be vaccinated. The agreements with Klesia and Apgis, the sector insurers, make it possible to cover the flu vaccine and the procedure.
What vaccines?
The vaccines available against influenza are Fluarix Tetra, Vaxigrip Tetra and Influvac Tetra, all three of which can be administered to adults and children aged 6 months and over. For vaccination against Covid-19, only the new Pfizer vaccine, Comirnaty JN.1, adapted to the variant of the same name, will be available. It exists in three different dosages: 30 mcg from 12 years and over, 10 mcg for children from 5 to 11 years and 3 mcg (to be reconstituted) for children from 6 months to 4 years. For the moment, quantities available are limited to 30 vials for adults, 3 vials for children aged 5 to 11 and 2 vials for younger children.
Please note, regardless of the patient’s vaccination history, they must only receive one dose of vaccine. New methods for monitoring injections against Covid-19 should be put in place by the Ministry of Health, but are not yet known (for the record, the SI Vaccin Covid platform is no longer accessible to health professionals).
How to administer and then invoice?
In order to improve vaccination coverage for people at risk of severe disease, if a patient is eligible for both vaccinations, regardless of age, it is recommended to co-administer the vaccines. The two injections can be performed on the same day, on two separate injection areas. There is no particular time limit to be respected between the two injections. In the FSPF circular, a table “fairly clear”according to Philippe Besset, summarizes who can vaccinate at the pharmacy and how to bill for the Covid-19 vaccine, because the reimbursement terms vary depending on the patient profile. The president of the FSPF therefore suggests that pharmacists print it because they will need to consult it throughout the campaign.
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