Flu and COVID-19 vaccination campaign to begin October 5

Catalonia's flu and COVID-19 vaccination campaign begins October 5, with walk-in vaccination appointments available starting November 16.

New this year, the campaign is divided into three phases. The first phase, which begins Monday, will allow high priority groups to make appointments: people over 60, people at high risk and essential service workers. 

The second phase, open to the general population, begins October 26. The third phase starts on November 16 and includes the walk-in period where no appointment is needed.

The Catalan government has set aside €13 million to buy 1.8 million flu vaccine doses and 1 million COVID-19 doses. Esteve Fernández, the Catalan secretary general of public health, said the campaign is expected to be "very similar" to the 2024-2025 one.

The campaign again includes walk-in vaccination, which Fernández said "helped increase coverage." He noted that it complements the appointment system on La Meva Salut, the Catalan health service's online patient platform. 

The goal is "not to let up," he said, in order to reach vaccination rates of 75% among people above the age of 60, health care workers and social-health workers, and 60% among pregnant women, people at high risk and children aged 6 to 59 months.

Vaccines will be given mainly at Catalonia's primary care centers, known as CAPs, as well as at hospitals and urgent care centers known as CUAPs. Fernández said 120,000 appointments had been booked as of Thursday. The Catalan Health Department wants to deliver most vaccinations before Christmas.

Fernández said he is confident that, with no significant changes from a year ago and vaccination now underway, there will be no impact on hospitalizations or intensive care admissions. 

"The only difference is that we are better prepared, with many more people vaccinated," he said.

Montse Martínez, head of the Preventive Medicine Service, said both the COVID-19 and flu vaccines are "new" because they are now trivalent, meaning they protect against three strains. 

Martínez also said the campaign, which normally begins in late September, is starting later than usual because production took longer.

Last winter, 1,524,442 flu vaccine doses and 934,309 COVID-19 doses were given through March 15, 2025. Fernández acknowledged that more COVID-19 vaccines were bought this year because supplies were "tight" last year. 

Montcada said a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been detected, and that the current vaccine is already adapted to it. The virus recorded "very low levels" this summer, he said, before rising from mid-July. 

After "examining the data and sequencing in greater detail, the virus is not spreading," he said, though he urged vigilance as the situation evolves.