ARCHIVED - 62.8 per cent of people in Spain are fully vaccinated against Covid
73.2 per cent have received at least one dose as the immunization campaign in Spain progresses rapidly among teenagers
After the administration of another 500,000 Covid vaccine doses in Spain over the weekend, the latest Ministry of Health update which was published on Monday evening reports that almost 29.8 million people throughout the country have received either the Janssen single-dose vaccine or both doses of the Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca products.
They represent 62.8 per cent of the entire population and 70.7 per cent of the target population (i.e. those aged over 12), and the aim of reaching 70 per cent of the whole population by the end of the summer appears eminently achievable. The emergence of new strains of coronavirus, particularly the Delta variant, has led to most experts now surmising that this will not yet be enough to achieve the hoped-for “herd immunity”, but the effects of the vaccines have at least led to fewer cases requiring hospitalization and the need for intensive care treatment.
According to the figures compiled by Our World in Data, Spain has made greater progress in vaccinating its population than any other country in Europe, including the UK, where early in the year doses were being administered far more quickly than in the EU.
Almost all of those in their 70s and 80s in Spain have received both vaccine doses, while the proportions are also very high at 93.7 per cent in people aged 60 to 69 and 89.6 per cent in 50- to 59-year-olds. For those in their 40s the figure is also over 80 per cent, while as the campaign progresses it is also the case that over half of those aged 30 to 39 have been fully inoculated.
Among teenagers and 20-somethings the figures are lower, but only now is the vaccination campaign in full swing for adolescents and young adults and the number to have received their first doses is rising significantly day by day. Over two thirds of people between 20 and 29 have received the first dose, and after a sharp increase over the last ten days the proportion in teenagers has risen to 43.6 per cent.
It is becoming more and more widely accepted that “top-up” third jabs will be required later this year in order to boost immunity levels, and as the initial campaign reaches the youngest age group for which vaccines have been approved all the signs are that Spain will be in a good position to begin this next phase of immunization during the autumn should the authorities decide to go ahead with it.
Image: Cruz Roja Murcia (Twitter)