Asia offers more flu shots to head off COVID-19 complications

GC Biopharma

14/09/2020 08:06

TOKYO/SEOUL/BEIJING, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Some Asian
countries are rolling out early and more aggressive influenza
vaccination programs this year, seeking to reduce the potential
of people contracting the flu and COVID-19 simultaneously,
crippling healthcare systems.
    With a second or third wave of the coronavirus pandemic
looming for many countries, tackling this year's flu season -
typically December through February - has taken on increased
urgency. 
    In Japan, the health ministry is preparing 31.2 million flu
shots, up 7% from last year and the highest amount since 2015.
Officials are also urging symptomatic patients to call medical
hotlines before going for testing to avoid contagion at
hospitals.
    "We are going to focus our medical resources on the severely
ill in anticipation of the seasonal influenza epidemic," Takeshi
Enami, a Japanese health ministry official said last week after
a meeting of disease experts.
    The World Health Organization has urged global widespread
flu vaccinations this year, amid concerns the same people who
are most vulnerable to risks from COVID-19, such as the elderly
and those with respiratory conditions, are also at greatest risk
for the flu. 
    Data on the number of annual flu cases across Asia is
limited, although Japan had about 12 million cases in the
2018/19 season, according to an official source.
    In South Korea, health authorities are procuring 30 million
flu vaccines for the winter season, up 20% from last year.
Around 19 million people will be inoculated for free, covering a
third of the country's population, up from 13.8 million a year
ago.
    Officials are also extending the demographic window for free
vaccination, this year covering children from six months to 18,
adults over 61 and pregnant women.
    South Korea's biggest flu vaccine maker GC Pharma
 006280.KS  told Reuters it will make over 10 million flu shots
for this season, up from the 8.5 million doses last year.
    In Taiwan, the government said it views the seasonal flu and
the coronavirus as two separate concerns as they can control
COVID-19 with existing strict rules, including mandatory
quarantines. Officials said late last month they planned to
provide more than six million free doses this year.
    In China, where flu shots are typically not free, some local
authorities have reported a surge in demand. Disease prevention
authorities in the Changning district of Shanghai city told
local media they expect demand for flu vaccines in the autumn
and winter to increase some 50% from previous years. 
    In Australia, where the flu season runs roughly from June to
September, officials procured 16.5 million flu shots, up from
13.2 million last year.
    The moves in Asia echo similar efforts in North America and
Europe. In the United States, pharmaceutical firms are expected
to provide around 200 million flu vaccines this year, about 20%
more than usual.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nZ8N2DO011  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2FF0IR
    

 (Reporting by Rocky Swift in Tokyo, Hyonhee Shin and Sangmi Cha
in Seoul, Roxanne Liu in Beijing, Ben Blanchard in Taipei, and
Jonathan Barrett in Sydney; Writing by Sayantani Ghosh in
Singapore; editing by Jane Wardell)
 ((sayantani.ghosh@thomsonreuters.com; +65 6870 3803;))