Covid: Spanish vaccine rollout success

Targets hit in coronavirus response

HEALTH authorities across Spain report more than 33 million Covid-19 vaccines are in arms – more than 44% of the entire population, some 21.4 million people, has received at least one shot.

The end of the week is expected to bring another target hit; 15 million people will have been fully protected.

Fernando Simón, the director of the Health Ministry’s Coordination Centre for Health Alerts, said 960,215 doses were administered across the weekend. 

He revealed that more than 53% of the target population – the over-16s – have received at least one dose.

 “Nearly a million shots were administered last weekend. These are figures that indicate the clearly favourable progress of our drive,” said Simón. “A little more than half a million people have been fully vaccinated since last Friday.”

Nearly all over-70s have now received two doses, the regional health authorities are said to be now focussing on the 60 to 69 age group; who were given the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot. It has taken longer to protect the age group as there was a planned 12-week gap between jabs.

Other age groups given alternative vaccines normally wait three to four weeks. It means only 11% of the 60 to 69-year-olds are fully protected against the average of 26%.