Portugal Nears 2.5M Flu Shots Milestone, Free Vaccines for Babies and Seniors

In fewer than three months, Portugal has pushed almost as many flu vaccines as people who live in Porto and Coimbra combined into citizens’ arms. The 2.5 million-shot goal set by health officials is now a whisker away, yet emergency departments are already feeling the heat of an unusually brisk viral season.

Fast facts before the holidays

• 2 424 877 influenza doses administered by 14 December

• Campaign began 23 September and runs until 30 April

• 85 % of residents aged 85+ are protected

• 1.3 million seasonal COVID-19 boosters given in parallel

• Vaccination is free for everyone ≥60 years, pregnant women, high-risk groups and, for the first time, all babies 6–23 months

Nearly there: closing the gap to 2.5 million

From Lisbon’s Graça parish to remote aldeias in Trás-os-Montes, the autumn-winter drive has logged 2.42 M flu jabs, just 75 000 short of the Directorate-General of Health’s headline target. Officials expect the finish line to be crossed “within days” thanks to weekend pop-up clinics and extended pharmacy hours.

The Relatório N.º 12 on seasonal vaccination shows steady, week-on-week uptake, outpacing last year’s curve despite a slightly late delivery of some batches. “Portugal continues to punch above its weight in vaccination coverage,” said Rita Sá Machado, the new Director-General of Health, noting that supply bottlenecks affecting other EU states have largely spared the country.

Elderly enthusiasm, baby breakthrough

Uptake among the oldest Portuguese remains exceptional: 85.47 % of everyone ≥85 years has rolled up a sleeve, while the 60–84 year bracket hovers at 64 %. Public-health doctors credit pharmacy reminders, family-health-unit calls and, more culturally, a “sense of solidariedade after the pandemic years” for the brisk pace.

On the other end of the age scale, this is the first season that all infants 6–23 months qualify for a completely free flu shot. Paediatrician Teresa Mendonça at Hospital de S. João calls the move “potentially lifesaving” because children under two still clock the highest ICU-admission rates for influenza. Early data show 29 000 babies have already been immunised.

Two viruses, one queue

The 2024-2025 campaign deliberately bundles the influenza jab with the latest COVID-19 booster. To date, 1.3 M people have received the updated XBB-sub-lineage vaccine. The Ministry of Health opted to separate appointment streams only for immunocompromised patients, cutting average waiting times in half at larger health centres such as Amadora-Sintra.

Deputy Health Minister Filipe Almeida argues that synchronising roll-outs “makes logistical and behavioural sense” because the same at-risk groups benefit most from both shots.

Pharmacies steal the spotlight

Roughly 45 % of flu doses have been delivered through 2 500 community pharmacies, a ratio that has risen every season since the model’s debut in 2020. Pharmacists highlight three advantages: longer opening hours, walk-in flexibility and “the trust factor” of the local farmacêutico who knows each family.

Centro de Saúde do Lumiar’s coordinator, Inês Marques, adds that splitting the workload keeps GP appointments free for chronic-disease management. Still, the SNS supplies every pharmacy with real-time stock dashboards to avoid last-minute shortages, especially in the Algarve and Alentejo where seasonal tourism complicates forecasts.

An early, tougher flu season

Virologists monitoring Portuguese samples confirm a swift rise in influenza A(H3N2) – subtype K cases, a strain not perfectly matched by the current vaccine. While most shots still offer cross-protection against severe disease, emergency units recorded a 17 % jump in respiratory visits during the first week of December compared with 2024.

Public-health specialist Bernardo Gomes warns that, if the new subtype dominates, pressure on hospitals could spike just as staff take Christmas leave. The Health Ministry has re-activated contingency beds, expanded SNS 24 staffing and asked INEM to prepare additional ambulance crews.

Why reaching the target matters

Enthusiasm for vaccination is not merely symbolic. Mathematical models from the National School of Public Health suggest that hitting 2.5 M flu shots could avert 4 000 hospitalisations and 500 deaths this winter, even with a partially mismatched strain. For employers, each percentage-point uptick in coverage translates into an estimated €2 M in productivity saved through fewer sick-leave days.

Tourism officials also quietly cheer the numbers; higher coverage among senior visitors from France and the UK may reassure travellers wary of hospital overcrowding in the Algarve during New Year’s week.

The road ahead

• Target in sight: Authorities forecast passing the 2.5 M milestone before the year closes.• Second-wave push: January messaging will pivot to pregnant women and those aged 60–64, groups lagging the average.• Data refresh: A more granular dashboard—promised for early February—will finally show regional and parish-level uptake.• Policy review: The vaccine-dose-elevada offered to people ≥85 could be extended to nursing-home staff if hospital-admission rates climb.

As Portugal braces for what Health Minister Ana Paula Martins calls a “demanding winter”, residents still hesitating have both pharmacies on every corner and centros de saúde ready to help them protect the festive season’s precious gatherings.