“Healthcare professionals not only have to get vaccinated, because vaccination is a moral value as well as a concept of suitability for the profession, but they have to become real vaccination influencers. A great responsibility falls on these figures, who are reliable sources of information for the general population ”. So Roberto Ieraci, director of Uoc International Vaccinations of the ASL Roma 1, speaking at the webinar “Covid Next Step: we have the vaccine, but the other vaccinations?“Online talk promoted and organized by Fare Comunicazione, with the unconditional contribution of GSK, on the topic of vaccinations obscured by the pandemic emergency, in which he addressed the thorny story of” no vax “health workers: in Italy 1 out of 5 refuses the vaccine anti Covid. “In that case, we should move on to the discourse of obligation” he cuts short.
Regarding the flu vaccination, Ieraci recalled: “US hospitals have accustomed us to coverage of 90-95%. If we compare this figure to the flu vaccination coverage of our health workers in past years, we would be a little ashamed ”.
“Last year – he added – the Lazio Region issued a circular that defined the institutional framework of the hospital vaccination center. We always talk about healthy and responsive subjects but we forget about immunosuppressed, immunosuppressed, cancer, transplant patients, rheumatic patients, treated with biological drugs. The immunization rate of these categories of subjects is extremely low. We know very well that even if they respond little, partial protection is better than non-protection. For this reason, every large hospital must have a second level vaccination center where the problems of all those patients who are highly vulnerable are addressed. In this sense, healthcare professionals must become the true influencers of vaccinations ”.
And on the impact that the Covid-19 emergency has had on other vaccinations, Ieraci has no doubts: “This tough period will certainly bring an advantage on other vaccinations as well. Today there is a lot of talk about the Covid vaccine and unfortunately the attention towards other vaccinations has faded. Instead, we must not let our guard down on all vaccination coverage, and it is essential to respect the timing of vaccination doses, respect the intervals between vaccinations, both in pediatric subjects and in frail adults “.
The situation in the RSA is improving, where since mid-January there has been – as certified by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità – a drop in cases among health professionals and over 80s, probably attributable to the vaccination campaign in progress. This issue was also addressed during the webinar. But what contribution can vaccinations make within the RSA and what kind of information can be provided in nursing homes for the elderly? “The contribution of vaccinations is fundamental – he admitted Alberto Fedele, Director of the Hygiene and Public Health Service Department of the Lecce Local Health Authority – the times we are living have also demonstrated this. Not only was the anti Covid-19 vaccination campaign highly anticipated, but it had a good success in the RSAs that were armored. Thus it was seen, both by health professionals and by the elderly population, as an opportunity to return to live, to socialize. And therefore we must take this opportunity also for the other vaccinations, of which little is said. Even the operators have understood that prevention is important ”.