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World. – The World Health Organization (WHO) warned of the potential global shortage of the influenza vaccine, caused by increased demand in the context of the covid-19 pandemic.
WHO Head of Influenza Preparedness and Response Ann Moen reported at a press conference in Geneva that there has been increased demand since last April “and we now hear that some countries trying to get the flu vaccine cannot do so.”
Moen explained that around 500 million doses are produced annually on demand, however, after pre-orders, the industry increased shipments for some countries and has made additional vaccines that have been distributed, “but overall there seems to be greater demand than the number of vaccines that have been produced,” he warned.
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The expert noted that responding quickly to increased demand for vaccines can be relatively slow, as the most common way to produce it involves a large number of hen eggs in which the virus is incubated. So he asked northern hemisphere countries entering flu season to prioritize the elderly and health workers in flu vaccination.
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