Health officials have repeatedly advised that getting the flu vaccine is more important that ever this autumn.
Getting vaccinated can help to avoid an additional assault on the immune system in times of Covid-19, but it can also eliminate the flu as a possible cause for common symptoms.
Unfortunately, there is already a vaccine shortage in Luxembourg. RTL spoke to Alain de Bourcy, President of the Syndicate of Pharmacists to find out more.
Demand this year has at least doubled, with vulnerable populations in particular being encouraged to get vaccinated. As a consequence, vaccines are almost impossible to find in pharmacies right now. This affects our neighbouring countries just as much as Luxembourg.
There are three health firms providing vaccines in Luxembourg this year, says de Bourcy. Each of them has their own delivery policy. "Flucelvax and Influvac by Mylan have already been delivered and sold, there won't be any more of those. GlaxoSmithKline, usually the biggest provider in Luxembourg, deliver in a few batches."
Another delivery is expected towards the end of the month, and then another in December. Vulnerable people especially should get vaccinated as soon as possible. They are being prioritised, but unfortunately, by the time the communication from the Ministry of Health went out, three quarters of pharmacies had already run out of vaccines.
The good news is that flu epidemics generally don't take off until early December, so we still have a bit of time.
The order of GPs confirmed that most orders in nursing homes had arrived.
Looking to the southern hemisphere, which has already had its winter this year, also provides some comfort.
Big countries like Australia and Argentina had very few cases of flu, undoubtedly due to confinement and distance measures. "We disinfect more often, we are more careful, wear masks, which made for a very quiet flu season," says Alain de Bourcy.
Additionally, the flu had less chance to spread around the world with the decrease in air travel. The president of the syndicate of pharmacy thinks there should ultimately be enough vaccines, even if the current shortage can seem worrying.
