Get flu jab and Covid booster in one go, ministry says

Luxembourg residents can receive their next Covid-19 boost in one go with a seasonal flu shot, the health ministry said on Wednesday, as it launched another appeal to encourage people at risk to get jabbed as winter approaches.

"We strongly recommend for people to get vaccinated against the flu this winter, especially those at risk," Health Minister Paulette Lenert was quoted as saying in a press release.

General practitioners will administer the flu vaccine free of charge to all those considered at risk, including anyone aged 65 and over, those working in the health sector, pregnant women and those suffering from chronic illness.

Getting a jab in autumn offers the best protection, the health ministry said, before an expected spread of the flu during winter.

“This winter, this disease can have even more serious consequences, because fewer people will have acquired natural immunity against the flu during the Covid-19 pandemic, and therefore more people are likely to contract it,” the ministry said.

The number of Covid-19 infections is likely to shoot up in the coming weeks as the virus is expected to spread faster due to more indoor gatherings in autumn and winter months, Thomas Dentzer, a virologist at Luxembourg's health ministry, said last month.

In the week starting 19 September, 1,300 people tested positive for the virus, a rise of around 30% from the previous week, according to the latest data from the Health Ministry. More than 1,000 people in Luxembourg have died of Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

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