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Date Published: 01/09/2021
ARCHIVED - Spain buys 2.2 million Novavax vaccines as third dose of Covid jab is anticipated
Almost 80 per cent of population who can be vaccinated have received at least 1 dose
The Spanish health authorities have agreed to purchase 2.2 million extra Novavax vaccines and half a million Sanofi vaccines to step up their vaccination programme.
While on paper Spain has just missed out on its 70 per cent immunisation target for the end of August, with 69.5 per cent of the population now fully vaccinated, this number includes under-12s who cannot yet be vaccinated. The reality is that the number of people over the age of 12 to have received both Covid jabs is 32.99 million, a total of 78.3 per cent.
However, with the prevalence of the Delta variant, experts are now largely in agreement that 70 per cent won’t be sufficient to talk about ‘herd immunity’ and instead, Spain will have to shoot for a figure closer to 85 per cent. If the current rate of vaccination continues, by the end of September, 86.5 per cent of those over the age of 12 should be fully immunised (76.8 per cent of the entire population).
Meanwhile, after sitting on the fence for weeks, the Interterritorial Council is set to approve a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine for those with weakened immune systems on September 1, with the likelihood being that more of the population will need a booster jab before too long.
To cater for the extra vaccinations, the Spanish Ministry of Health purchased half a million doses of the Sanofi vaccine last week while a further 2.2 million doses of Novavax, the vaccine manufactured in Galicia by the Zendal Group, were bought on August 30.
The Novavax deliveries are scheduled for late 2021 and early 2022, at a rate of 679,972 doses in November 2021, 810,850 in December and 793,263 by January 2022.
Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena
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