In Romania, the flu vaccination rate is “still” low, and to stop the epidemic and especially the consequences for the elderly, it is necessary to vaccinate “about 3.5 million” people, Health Minister Alexandru Rafila said on Saturday, according to Agerpres . . At the same time, he said that herd immunity is low because the measures against COVID have also protected us from the flu, and the circulation of flu viruses has decreased significantly.

• “For the flu, since we had a two-year break, we had measures for COVID. They also protected us from the flu, and the circulation of flu viruses has decreased significantly over the past two years, including in the southern hemisphere. at that time, the circulation of influenza viruses revealed a population that had not been exposed to these viruses for about two years, so the herd immunity created by the transmission of the disease was low – there is no long-term immunity to influenza – and vaccination in Romania is still low. We vaccinated 1.5 million doses last year and this year, that was the acceptable level. To be able, for example, to stop the epidemic, and especially the consequences for the elderly, we have to vaccinate approximately 3.5 million people in Romania (…), that is, at least twice. Two years ago, 2.5 million doses of the vaccine were purchased, and only 1.5 million were used – we are talking about the flu vaccine,” said Rafila on Prima TV.

The minister also explained why flu patients feel much worse than COVID patients.

• “Meanwhile, the infection with the coronavirus, in terms of symptoms, has changed in a favorable direction. The forms produced by the Omicron strain, even these subvariants that are currently circulating, are generally mild forms, and we see this (,..). In hospitals we have very few people hospitalized, and in intensive care we have about 30 nationally. It is clear that as the transmissibility of the new coronavirus has increased, the pathogenicity has decreased a lot, and it has become a trivial virus,” he noted.

Alexandru Rafila noted that influenza vaccination is given every year.

“I also vaccinated myself, I not only recommend it, I definitely vaccinate myself every year. And during the pandemic years, and this year, I also vaccinated myself, and I vaccinated my family, including the child, with a seasonal flu vaccine, “he said.