Clalit Health Insurance Fund starts its annual flu vaccination campaign this week.
In the first phase, vaccinations will be available at central clinics and special vaccination points, and then the campaign will gradually cover all Clalit clinics throughout the country as new batches arrive.
More than a million injectable vaccines and another 25,000 doses of nasal spray have been ordered this year.
Last winter, about 980 thousand people were vaccinated as part of the Clalit campaign. The vaccination rate among people over 65 was 55%.
Vaccination against influenza reduces the risk of getting sick by 40-60% and reduces the likelihood of severe illness, complications (including pneumonia) and hospitalization.
The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone from six months of age, and primarily for high-risk groups: people with chronic diseases (cardiovascular, diabetes and other metabolic disorders, kidney and liver diseases), people with weakened immune systems and severe obesity, children from six months to five years, people over 50 years of age (especially from 65 years), pregnant women and women within three months after childbirth, as well as residents of nursing homes, geriatric and social institutions and boarding schools.