translated from Spanish: Flu vaccine: WHO warns of potential shortages

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday warned of a potential global shortage of the vaccine to cope with influenza in the face of increased demand and lack of production. While historical minimums of the disease have been recorded in southern hemisphere countries, due to estating measures taken to deal with coronavirus, WHO has called on people not to let their guard down and has influenced priority given to the elderly and health workers for possible shortages.” There has been increased demand and some countries trying to get the flu vaccine cannot do so,” said WHO Chief of Influenza Preparation and Response Ann Moen.The agency specified that the seasonal influenza virus kills hundreds of thousands of people for respiratory causes each year. The organization has released recommendations supported by the Strategic Advisory Group of Immunization Experts (SAGE) for vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. They ensured that the aim of this document was to prevent national health systems from collapsing, and that there was no “confusion” in treating people for respiratory diseases that may be difficult to differentiate.
Key groups include pregnant women, children, or people with illnesses. “If possible, all of these groups should continue to be empused as the best way to reduce the disease,” she said. Moen, on the other hand, stressed that although the vaccine does not protect people against COVID-19, if it can “keep them out of the hospital by the flu.” Seasonal influenza can affect up to one billion people worldwide, with three to five million severe cases, and an average of 290,000 to 650,000 deaths annually from respiratory causes, according to body data. As for the possible lack of vaccines, they noted that around 500 million doses occur, although it has warned that there has been increased demand this year. In the southern hemisphere, only 1 percent of people tested positive, compared to 10 to 30 percent of the population in other years.

Original source in Spanish