Doctor Inmaculada Salcedo, head of the Preventive Medicine and Public Health Department at the Reina Sofía Hospital, is an authoritative voice to address a recurring topic of conversation among the residents of Córdoba these days: the impact of a early flu. his face … She made a name for herself by being the spokesperson for the Council’s expert committee on the Covid epidemic, which will also appear in this interview. Although today’s protagonist is the first disease; not the second.
-What scenario do we currently have regarding the incidence of influenza in Córdoba?
-In the Preventive Medicine and Public Health departments, we have staff on call seven days a week and primary care epidemiologists also on call, with whom we carry out a permanent monitoring of progress. Given that there is starting to be greater attendance in primary care, there will obviously be greater attendance in hospitals and, in fact, that is already the case. At Reina Sofía level, the figures are not yet very high but we are guardians. We will take appropriate action at all times. This year’s flu has arrived four or five weeks earlier than expected, so the most important thing is to prepare.
-How can we, citizens, prepare ourselves to put an end to it?
-This assumes that all people who are indicated to be vaccinated receive it and adopt non-pharmacological measures, which are so effective, so cheap and with so much scientific evidence. This involves using surgical masks when you have symptoms. Anyone with symptoms should wear it for their own sake and that of others. It also consists of a good hand hygiene to prevent germs that remain there from spreading. We must try to ensure that people who have symptoms are not with vulnerable patients, nor with the elderly. Children are also very contagious with the flu. Be very careful with grandparents who stay with little ones. Grandparents may have chronic illnesses and the flu doesn’t benefit them at all.
-Should we be aware that these non-pharmacological measures help to stop the spread of diseases like the flu and Covid?
-Of course. These infections and many more. They cut the transmission chains. With them, you are no longer contagious. When we have a respiratory virus, the droplets that we emit when coughing or talking spread in the environment, in our hands… With non-pharmacological measures, the droplets do not pass, so there is no contagion. This is why, at the slightest cold, I put on my face mask and my people the same. And let’s go to work.
-If you have flu or Covid symptoms, is putting on a mask an act of solidarity towards others, especially towards the most vulnerable?
-Of course, it is an act of individual and collective responsibility. It’s boring, but it’s what we have to do because we don’t know who is next to us. Maybe he’s a vulnerable patient and we’re infecting him. And even if they’re not vulnerable, that person can get infected and pass it on to another and another and another. You say: “Well, I’m on the street. “I’m taking it off.” But within a meter and a half or two, you can already be contagious. Public health problems are: those that affect many people who become ill and of these, some may die. The flu is a pathology that is not trivial. When someone enters there, there is already a gravity. And this person, if they are also vulnerable, if they present a series of pathologies, may die from another cause, but the flu may be one of the triggering factors. Death usually does not occur just from the flu. What happens is that the flu contributes to making the patient’s situation worse. This is why it is so important not to infect. Learning from Covid
-Why did the flu come early?
-This is attributed to the fact that there is a new subclade that could give rise to another variation and then there is the factor of temperature. Since the cold arrived suddenly, people have been accumulating in closed places and this favors transmission. When we started the vaccination campaign, the weather was nice and there were people saying they weren’t getting the vaccines. Today, many people get vaccinated because they see the wolf’s ears.
“I’m not worried about when the peak of the flu will occur, but rather whether we are prepared for it. And I guarantee you that we are. »
-In line with what was mentioned previously about non-pharmacological measures, the Council has just recommended the wearing of masks in health centers, hospitals, nursing homes and other social and health centers. I understand that this seems like an appropriate measure.
-It seems perfect to me, magnificent. We now need to adopt the culture of putting it where the patients accumulate.
-Would you be in favor of making, for example, the wearing of a mask compulsory in the places we have mentioned or even recommending it or making it compulsory in other spaces, such as public transport?
-The possibility of forcing will depend on the evolution of the epidemiological curve. It is in the hands of the health authorities, who will tell us when it should be done, decide it with the data we provide and epidemiological surveillance, which is the key here. You can’t force anyone yet. We would need a more epidemic situation which would already affect public health.
-What impact does this wave of flu have on emergencies?
-At the moment we have no problems at the Reina Sofía. The important thing is to prevent and anticipate the situation.
-How will the incidence of flu evolve in Córdoba in the coming weeks?
-It should continue to increase a little. And it is possible that this year’s variant is more contagious. We will be, as we already are, continually vigilant and prepared, as always. We have a system that allows us to do this in the event of an increase in incidence. stop as quickly as possible and take appropriate measures so that there is no saturation problem at the Hospital.
-Therefore, the incidence will continue to increase for a few weeks.
-It’s likely, yes. What is expected is that it will increase a little. Because temperatures are expected to remain cold and viruses are expected to circulate during this period; not only the flu, but respiratory syncytial virus or Covid. This is why the preventative measures we have discussed as well as the vaccine are also so important. You have to be very careful and take all preventive measures. And the vaccines are safe, they are all very safe.
-When can we reach the summit and start crossing it?
-I can’t say exactly because what we do is monitor the incidence day by day. I’m not so much worried about when this will happen, but rather that we are prepared, and in that I can assure you that we are.
Vaccination rate
-Regarding the vaccination rates in Córdoba, are they a reason for satisfaction for you?
-Yeah. But I always say that I will never be satisfied with these rates until they are one hundred percent, even if it is very complicated. But it is true that we have one of the highest vaccination coverage rates in Andalusia and it is very high in primary care and in the hospital as well.
-In the population that is neither children nor the elderly, who should be vaccinated in this age group between 15 and 64?
-The Ministry’s instructions are clear and in our community they are among the broadest in Spain. All risk groups are covered. The cohorts of people for whom it is indicated have expanded. Anyone who is within the vaccination limits should not give up. It is really appropriate to put it on. We are talking about all citizens who have a process that compromises their immunity; Let’s say they are immunocompromised due to an underlying condition. We have maximum accessibility in terms of schedules so that the population can wear them.
“When you have symptoms, putting on a mask is an act of individual and collective responsibility”
-It has already become unclear, but, also taking advantage of the fact that you are an expert in the matter, I wanted to ask you what the current situation is with the impact of Covid in Cordoba.
-We don’t have much. Frankly, we have a lot less of it than the flu. Lately we have had about six admissions for flu and one admission for Covid. And these are patients who are not vaccinated against Covid. We have no income from the vaccinated and they also have an underlying pathology that justified them contracting the infection. These are executives who have Covid, but who are not admitted for that. They are hospitalized for another reason and, coincidentally, they tested positive for Covid. But he lives with his illness and is still not vaccinated. This is why I say the vaccine cannot be ignored.
-He once again emphasizes the importance of vaccines. Are you concerned about the reluctance that part of society continues to have towards them?
-Yes, that worries me a lot. All vaccines are safe, they have been tested and have sometimes been produced in record time because a lot of time and money has been invested. You have to put them on. It is clear that if we had not been vaccinated against Covid, we would have had infinitely worse outcomes. I worry about anti-vaccines because they are the result of serious ignorance. Sometimes, for example, they associate a side effect with the vaccine that has coincided over time for another reason.
-Do you think we, the people of Córdoba, have learned anything from this pandemic more than five years later? Have we changed our habits?
-There are times when I say we didn’t learn, but we did. The children of the pandemic, the little ones who were taught in schools to sneeze, cough or elbow, have grown up and I see them as adolescents who use these respiratory hygiene measures. I think it’s magnificent. This has been an important work of educational centers. Sometimes we adults are worse. We must now give all the importance they have to non-pharmacological measures. Putting on a mask, washing your hands with soap and water when entering the house because you have touched objects… These kinds of problems are so criticized, because they don’t make the headlines, they are very effective and I think they have penetrated a little more into the population. Before, it was inconceivable to see someone wearing a mask on the bus or in the supermarket.
-Are there any signs that a new outbreak could be coming? If so, where could it come from?
-For the moment, there is nothing on the horizon, but you never know. What we do know is that we must be prepared. By being prepared and with everything we learned from the previous pandemic, we would be fine, although we hope it never happens.
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