Spain is starting to gain ground over the coronavirus. According to the latest Health Ministry report, infections remain at very high levels, coming in on Wednesday at 173 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last 14 days. But the progress of the vaccination drive and the restrictions that have been in place to slow the spread of the virus have softened the effects of Covid-19 on the worst parameter of the pandemic: the number of deaths.
Since the vaccination program began to take effect at the start of the year, the numbers of Covid-19 victims have fallen dramatically. The effect of the vaccines, which protect people from serious illness and death, as well as the fall in transmission due to social restrictions, have accelerated this descent. Since the end of January, weekly Covid-19 deaths have gone down by 90%.
People wait in line for the Covid-19 vaccine outside Gregorio Marañón Hospital in Madrid.Jaime Villanueva / EL PAÃS
The Covid-19 vaccination drive in Spain is speeding ahead. The regions â which are in charge of the vaccine rollout as well as containing the pandemic in their territories â are making a huge effort to deploy resources and set up mass vaccination sites to accelerate the immunization drive.
A total of 100% of the over-80s have received the first dose and 78% have received the two shots needed for full protection in the case of the Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna vaccines. Some 67% of people in the 70-79 age group have also received at least one dose. In the last week, more than 400,000 doses were administered a day, which has pushed up the number of people aged 60-69 who have been vaccinated. Nearly half of this age group â 47% â has received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine â a total of 2.5 million people.
The Covid-19 vaccination campaign has reached cruising speed in Spain. With the immunization of the over-80s nearly complete, and half of the countryâs septuagenarians and 40% of the 60-69 age group having got their first dose, all of the over 60s could be protected between the end of May and start of June should the expected doses arrive. Now the health authorities will have to decide on what will happen for the under-60s, and with vaccines such as that of Janssen â being a single-shot vaccine, it could speed things up even further. But according to the current plans, it wonât be used for the under-60s. Some regions are calling for a change to the guidelines, while others are hesitant given the tiny risks of blood clots that have been associated with the medication.
A mass-vaccination site in Valencia on Monday.Mònica Torres
Spainâs Health Ministry and regional governments are considering whether to change the countryâs Covid-19 vaccination strategy, and delay the administration of the second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. Until now, a total of 21 and 28 days, respectively, were being left between the two shots necessary for the full protection offered by the vaccine, in line with the manufacturersâ recommendations.
Some of the countryâs regions, including Catalonia, Madrid and Andalusia, had already suggested such a change to the process, and now the ministry is likely to debate the move today during a meeting of the Public Health Commission. The proposal will focus on leaving eight weeks between shots for the under-80s, in a bid to speed up the rate of vaccination. Among the over-80s, 98% of whom have had their first dose and 58% of whom have had two, the second injection will be given following the