Paid flu vaccine runs out in pharmacies: 50,000 doses against 300,000 last season; more expected from late November
Flu vaccines that pharmacies buy themselves and sell on prescription to people not entitled to a free jab have run out across the country, Ema Paulino, president of the National Association of Pharmacies (ANF), confirmed on 9 November (Notícias ao Minuto). This season pharmacies received about 50,000 such doses, compared with about 300,000 in 2025. The paid vaccine was already almost impossible to find at the end of October, as we reported on 30 October.
There is enough free vaccine in pharmacies and health centres — even slightly more than last year — and no prescription is needed for it. The free jab is available to everyone aged 60 and over, pregnant women, children from 6 months to 4 years, and adults aged 18 to 59 with chronic conditions on the risk-group list. Since the campaign began at the end of September, more than 1.6 million people have been vaccinated, about 810,000 of them in pharmacies. Everyone else needs the paid vaccine: people whose doctor recommends the jab even though their condition is not on the list, and those vaccinated through their employer.
One manufacturer has promised a new batch for late November or early December, but according to Ema Paulino it will be small. She gives two reasons for the shortage: the World Health Organization was late in announcing which strains the new vaccines should cover, and manufacturers had supply problems and shipped doses for government campaigns first.
