ORevery autumn, at the first drop in temperatures, doctors are starting to draw attention to vaccination and, this year, the good news is that the answer came with much more conviction than in past seasons. In many Italian regions, in fact, the vaccination campaign against influenza and Covid-19 started with significant participation. But what is surprising is not only the number of citizens who have chosen to be immunised, a sharp increase compared to 2024, but the place where they did it: the pharmacy.
Influenza and Covid, the number of those choosing the vaccine is growing
The figures speak for themselves. In some areas, administrations have increased by around 40% compared to the same period last year. A clear sign of how our health habits are changing. According to data from Federfarma Friuli, for example, in the 76 pharmacies in the region that have joined the initiative, 1,351 citizens have already been vaccinated against the flu, compared to 881 in 2024. And also the anti-Covid coveragewhich was thought to be likely to decline, instead it shows surprising stability.
Health at home: pharmacies
But, as they said, the other interesting fact is the place where the greatest vaccinations are recorded. Whether it is for trust, convenience or, more simply, a new idea of healthcare that is tailored to everyday life, the pharmacy is no longer just a place to pick up a prescription: it has become a space for local care and prevention, where expertise meets personal relationships.
Prevention is no longer a rare gesture: this year thousands of people are choosing to get vaccinated, often in their local pharmacy (Getty Images)
Who answers the call
Looking at the identikit of those who choose vaccination, we see that the strongest response comes from the over 65sthe age group for which double vaccination is recommended and free. This is a generation that, with the lengthening of life, he learned the value of prevention and which, today, is showing a health maturity that is good for everyone. Young people, however, remain more hesitant. Yet, experts say, getting vaccinated also serves to protect those around us: parents, grandparents, vulnerable colleagues. It is a gesture that combines responsibility and mutual care.
Flu and Covid vaccine: double protection, double safety
The health authorities, from the Ministry of Health, to the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, to AIFA, they reiterate that the two vaccinations, flu and Covid, can also be administered togethersafely, if indicated by your doctor or pharmacist. The safety profile remains high: second the Italian Medicines Agencyin 2023 there were fewer than seven reports per hundred thousand doses of anti-Covid vaccine, almost all of which were minor. A fact that confirms how prevention is a safe investmentnot only for individual health, but for collective health.
A simple gesture that speaks of the future
Getting vaccinated today, especially since it can also be done in a pharmacy, is truly within everyone’s reach: just book, show up with your health card and wait for the short observation time after administration. Fifteen minutes, maybe less. A few minutes in which, however, a change takes place: healthcare that is approaching, trust that is growing, the awareness that health is built together. Prevention, after all, is not only important for oneself, but is a gesture of care towards oneself and others. And being able to do it, in part, in the pharmacy near your home also means being able to do it in a perfectly accessible way.