There has been a sluggish start to the annual coronavirus vaccination campaign. Those considered to be in vulnerable groups, either because of their age or an underlying medical condition, are advised to get a booster jab every autumn. By mid-October last year around 950,000 people in Flanders had already done so. However, accord to figures released by the Flemish Care Agency, just 650,000 people in Flanders have been for a Covid jab so far this year.
The Flemish Care Agency’s figures show that in recent weeks 652,109 people in Flanders have been vaccinated against Covid-19. The majority of these are over 65. By mid-October last year 950,000 in our region people had received their annual coronavirus booster jab. The vaccination campaign will continue during the coming weeks. Those that wish to can get vaccinated by their GP, pharmacist or home nurse.
The Flemish Care Agency suspects that the big fall in the number of people getting a booster jab is linked to the peak in the number of cases of coronavirus during the summer months as “doctors advise their patients not to get vaccinated during the three months that follow an infection”.
The Care Agency’s Joris Moonens told journalists that “Some people that were ill recently think that because of this they don’t need to be vaccinated any more”.
Nevertheless, those in vulnerable groups are still advised to get a jab in order to better protect them against a future infection. Vaccination is recommended for those over the age of 65, people with underlying health issues, people that are obese and people that work in (health)care.
During the autumn and winter of 2023 1.5 million people in Flanders got themselves vaccinated against Covid-19.