Head of RO emergency department urges people to get influenza vaccine to prevent COVID-flu phenomenon

Raed Arafat, the head of Romania’s Emergency Situations Department (DSU), has urged people to get the influenza vaccine to prevent the risk of getting both coronavirus and flu.

“It is very important that people get vaccinated against seasonal flu, especially the vulnerable groups, the older people. With this, they lower a part of the risk. If they also get the Covid-19 infection, we might see the COVID-flu phenomenon, and it will be tough for the doctors,” Arafat told local TV station Antena 3, G4media.ro reported.

Arafat said a Covid-19 vaccine would not instantly solve the situation.

“As the World Health Organization (WHO) said, until a vaccine is available, we need to be prepared. Even if the vaccine becomes available, we need to know it would not solve the situation immediately, because hundreds of millions, billions of doses are needed to stop the spread,” Arafat said.

The DSU head also said Romania was on the list of countries ordering a potential vaccine.

On July 31, the European Commission concluded exploratory talks with a pharmaceutical company to purchase a potential vaccine against COVID-19. The envisaged contract with Sanofi-GSK would provide an option for all EU member states to buy the vaccine.

It is envisaged that, once a vaccine has proven to be safe and effective against COVID-19, the Commission would have a contractual framework in place for the purchase of 300 million doses, on behalf of all EU member states.

The EC continues the discussions with other vaccine manufacturers.

(Photo: Alexandru Daniel Pavalache | Dreamstime.com)