Madrid has opened its joint flu and covid campaign with 1.79 million flu doses. Children under seven are joining the universal programme for the first time, as nurses call for stronger staffing plans.
During the first two weeks, Madrid is prioritising people aged 60 and over, along with children from six months to seven years. The regional government expects infection levels to rise earlier than usual, possibly in early November. Nurses warn that the health system could face another difficult winter without stronger staffing plans.
The campaign combines flu and covid vaccinations. Madrid has secured 1.79 million flu doses for the season.
The biggest change concerns children. Madrid's universal programme now covers children from six months to under seven years; previously, it covered only children aged 6 to 59 months. The measure is intended to protect children and lower the risk of transmission to relatives such as grandparents. Madrid has allocated 130,000 intranasal vaccine doses specifically for children aged two to seven, alongside standard injectable doses for younger children and other risk groups.
More than 850 vaccination points are open across the region. They include primary-care centres, public and private hospitals, municipal health centres, accredited private facilities and nursing homes.
Pregnant women, people with chronic conditions, healthcare and social-care workers, along with other impressive groups, will join the campaign from 19 October. The programme is scheduled to run until 31 January 2027, and officials can extend it if the epidemiological situation requires.
Madrid has bought 190,000 more flu doses than last year, bringing the reported total to 1.79 million. The purchase cost more than 19 million euros. Another campaign report cites an increase of 110,000 doses, so reports give different figures for the year-on-year change.
Reports on the regional plan say that 1.117 million doses are adjuvanted vaccines intended mainly for people aged 60 and over. A further 540,000 standard inactivated doses are for at-risk people aged eight to 59 and children aged six months to two years. The campaign aims for at least 75% coverage among people over 60 and pregnant women, and 60% among healthcare and social-care workers and children. Additional adult appointments are available at Enfermera Isabel Zendal, while paediatric vaccination is also being offered at 12 de Octubre, La Paz and Niño Jesús hospitals.
Families have already started using the service. Estructura Gómez said his son and daughter were vaccinated, as they were last year. He said the protection helps both children and older relatives.
Residents can book a flu vaccination, a covid vaccination or both in one appointment. Regional authorities especially recommend co-administration for people aged 70 and over and patients with risk factors. The single-appointment option is intended to make access easier as the campaign addresses two respiratory-virus threats.
María Eugenia Casado, a nurse and union delegate, said the cold season had barely begun, yet coughs and sneezes were already common. She criticised last year's management and called for genuinely long-term contracts to reinforce teams, retain professionals and reduce overload and stress.
Servimedia reported SATSE's warning that the campaign began without extra nursing staff in primary care. The union said the lack of additional personnel could bring back the delays and access problems seen during annual vaccination drives. The risk grows as the eligible population expands.
Vaccination points are part of the wider health service. The same workforce must absorb seasonal demand while hospitals and emergency departments prepare for colder months. SATSE wants planning that keeps emergency departments from reaching capacity, rather than relying on short-term reinforcement.
Spain's political agenda is also under pressure over coalition-building, as an earlier report described. In Madrid's health system, the immediate question is whether the expanded vaccination effort can maintain stable staffing through January.
The regional plan increases supplies and extends protection to a child age group with high incidence. Nurses point to the weak spot: access depends on having enough professionals and planning ahead for the predicted early peak.
More doses and vaccination sites will have limited value if staff remain temporary and overstretched. For residents, the question is whether appointments stay available as winter pressure builds. Madrid has expanded the offer, but it also needs to support the people delivering it.
