My name's Alex and this is my website all about Formentera Del Segura in Spain. Register now for free to talk about Coronavirus discussion in Formentera Del Segura: Covid-19 news and updates and much more!
UPDATE: How is Spain’s vaccine drive going?
Legendary helpful member
Hi all,
I've just read a couple of updates from this week's "The Local", but they may be behind a paywall, so I thought I'd share them here:
17 Feb 2021:
"Amid delays and setbacks due to vaccine supply issues, the good news is that seven Spanish regions will this week start to vaccinate over 80s in the general population.
"So far, Spain has been concentrating on vaccinating priority groups, which includes residents in care homes and those who work there, healthcare workers and those who need full time carers, but who do not reside in institutions.
"Other regions are still in the process of vaccinating these priority groups, but both Galicia and Castilla-La Mancha say that they will also be ready to start inoculating the over 80s by next week.
"In Valencia, over 90s will be given priority and in Galicia, a random selection has designated the first vaccinations for the over 80s will be for those whose surname begins with the letter ‘H’.
"Spain’s over 80s are to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, while the AstraZeneca vaccine will be reserved for other key workers under 55s, such as teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and members of the armed forces, who will be the next priority groups. Healthcare professionals not working in hospitals will also be included in this group, such as pharmacists, physiotherapists, home assistance carers.
"Because of the shortage of Moderna vaccines however, Spain will manufacture four of the existing Covid-19 vaccines on home ground, a move government officials believe will speed up the country's inoculation campaign.
"The Spanish Health Ministry has said that they expect 80% of over 80s will have been vaccinated by the end of March.
"Spain is expecting to receive four million vaccine doses this month, with larger shipments due in March.
"Regions have also been preparing for the large-scale vaccine rollout by designating special vaccination centres. In Madrid, Atletico’s stadium has been confirmed as a mass vaccination centre, while Andalusia and Murcia also have plans to convert sporting venues and convention centres.
"Catalonia's public health secretary has also put forward the idea of mass vaccination centres inside landmarks such as Gaudi's Sagrada Família and Barça's Camp Nou.
"Spain has a target of vaccinating 70 percent of its population by summer."
19 Feb 2021:
"Spain is on track to reach its inoculation goal this summer as almost all of its care home residents have now received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, the FED care-home association told Reuters on Friday.
"Now that the vaccine has been given to the most vulnerable in the Spanish population, Spain can now begin to vaccinate the over 80s in the general population.
"Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the country was on track to vaccinate 20 million people in the first half of 2021, in line with their summer goal.
"Spain has currently given 2.8 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and has fully inoculated 1.14 million people.
"If the goal is reached in time, it means that Spain will have vaccinated around 42 percent of its population of 47 million population by the middle of 2021.
"The news comes as a great relief as over 31,000 elderly nursing home residents have died of confirmed or suspected Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. This is around 47 percent of the total number of deaths from Covid-19 in Spain.
"Spain's public prosecutor is currently investigating more than 200 cases of potential criminal mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic in nursing and old people's homes.
"Now that 97 percent of nursing home residents have been vaccinated across Spain’s 17 regions, according to the FED, it hopefully means that the number of infections in care homes will continue to fall.
"Health Emergency Chief Fernando Simon said earlier this week that for the first time since the start of the pandemic, people over 65 who live in care homes have a lower rate of infection than those who live in the general population.
"FED’s president Ignacio Fernandez Cid said: “They are very positive data that allow us to be optimistic about the future. Immunity will allow us to gradually return to the longed-for lost normality.”
"As well as care home residents, Spain has also been vaccinating healthcare workers and those who need full time carers.
"The next lot of Spain's Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines will be given to the over 80s, while the AstraZeneca vaccine will be reserved for other key workers under the age of 55, such as teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and members of the armed forces.
"Healthcare professionals not working in hospitals will also be included in this group, such as pharmacists, physiotherapists, home assistance carers.
"With current infection rates in decline, there are now 321 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Spain, causing several regions to relax their restrictions."
Source: The Local
