Flu and vaccination: a rush to the pharmacy!

Our findings

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If we had to choose just one disease for 2020, it would obviously be Covid-19. But winter is approaching, and the unprecedented health context in which we find ourselves should not make us forget the other seasonal illnesses, in particular the flu. Especially since there is a vaccine to protect against it.

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Covid-19 or flu: it's hard to tell the difference!

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The second wave of Covid-19 has arrived, as predicted by many scientists. It has begun to intensify at a time when many other illnesses, including influenza, are making their winter comeback.

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The national vaccination campaign began on October 13, and is due to run until the end of January. But it's nothing like the campaigns of previous years. And for good reason: Covid-19 and influenza have very similar symptoms. It's impossible for patients to know if they're suffering from either of the two diseases, unless they undergo a screening test for Covid-19. Moreover, the people at risk for Covid-19 are the same as for seasonal flu. If the flu is scary, this new virus is even scarier, not to mention the potential accumulation of these two diseases. Indeed, contracting both concomitantly could prove fatal for many frail or elderly people.

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That's why this year, even more than usual, vaccination of people at risk is of the utmost importance. The French understood this, and rushed to the pharmacies to get their dose. So much so, that barely ten days later, more than half of all pharmacies were already out of stock. And the numbers have been rising ever since. Although the government had anticipated this phenomenon by ordering more doses of vaccine, it would appear that not all doses could be supplied on time.

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The barrier measures we now know by heart, if applied to the letter, can limit the spread of influenza. Regular hand-washing, use of disposable tissues, limiting outings, ventilation of living areas, wearing of masks... But these measures do not prevent the saturation of doctors' surgeries and emergency services.

At Tessanwe know how difficult it can be to consult a doctor during times like these, or in certain areas. That's why we've developed connected solutions to be installed in town halls, nursing homes and pharmacies, so you can benefit from teleconsultation wherever you are.

Seasonal influenza: widespread vaccination in pharmacies

Since 2019, pharmacists have the right to carry out vaccinations, provided they have passed a specific training course and have suitable premises.

The French are flocking to pharmacies both to buy the flu vaccine and to have it administered. With the vaccination campaign having begun, just a few days after antigenic tests, which can also be carried out in pharmacies, became widely available, pharmacies are going to have their work cut out for them.

For both vaccines and tests, if more and more patients are attracted by the possibility of visiting a pharmacy rather than a doctor, it's largely a question of availability. When they have to wait several days for a laboratory appointment, their pharmacist can offer them a test the same day. When their GP can't see them until the following week to vaccinate them against the flu, this can be done the very next day at the nearest dispensary, where they would have to go in any case to buy the vaccine. Medical deserts are a real problem today, so pharmacies have everything to gain from diversifying their offer.

With this in mind, Tessan offers an in-pharmacy pharmacy teleconsultation service.

Thanks to cabins or terminals equipped with 7 connected medical devices, you can bring the professional to where he or she is needed, without having to go anywhere!

From mobile terminals to booths and teleophthalmology tables, we're constantly innovating to meet the challenges of the medicine of the future.

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