The Covid vaccine made by AstraZeneca will for now only be administered to essential workers in Spain, including teachers, law-enforcement officers firefighters, and members of the soldiers but not supermarket workers. Although the treatment has been approved by European authorities for anyone over the age of 18 the Spanish government is taking a conservative approach first, it ruled out people over 80 years aged then it further reduced the target group to those under 55. And on Tuesday a committee of experts advising the National Healthcare System established that individuals under 55 with certain pre-existing medical conditions also will be overlooked a minimum of during the initial phase.
Neither the Health Ministry nor the committee has provided explanations for his or her decision, but the reasoning is laid call at a draft document detailing Spain’s revised vaccination strategy, to which has had access.
Due to the characteristics of the AstraZeneca vaccine known so far, it’s recommended to be used on people between the ages of 18 and 55, apart from those with severe immunodepression including cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment, uncontrolled disorder, or severe liver, kidney, metabolic endocrine or neurological diseases. People with these conditions and people over the age of 56 born in or before 1965) are going to be vaccinated at a later date when their age bracket or risk group comes up and with the foremost appropriate vaccine counting on availability and newly available evidence.
The reason for leaving out people with these underlying health conditions is that they weren’t included within the clinical trials for the vaccine. However, experts like Ildefonso Hernández, the spokesperson for the Spanish Society for Public Health, had involved people with diabetes or high vital sign under the age of 55 to be prioritized, as they’re also susceptible to the foremost severe manifestations of Covid-19.
The decision isn’t irreversible, and new reviews of the vaccination plan could include a number of the age or risk groups that are now being overlooked. Health Minister Carolina Darias has also reiterated that the method must be an equivalent across Spain, following announcements by some regional governments that they might begin administering the AstraZeneca vaccine without expecting central authorities to succeed in a choice that didn’t seem forthcoming: 11 days after the ECU Commission greenlighted the vaccine, the Spanish government had yet to announce guidelines for its use.
The largest group slated to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine is formed from around 760,000 teachers in early, primary, and education, consistent with union estimates. There also are around 240,000 enforcement officers from the National Police, the Civil Guard, and regional and native agencies. Some 120,000 members of the military also are eligible, also as 23,000 prison workers and 20,000 firefighters.
The AstraZeneca shots also will be administered to healthcare professionals who aren’t considered frontline workers physiotherapists, occupational therapists, pharmacy office workers, legal medicine workers home assistance workers and employees at day centers and centers for minors.
Not included within the list are supermarket employees, who were considered essential workers during the three-month lockdown between March and June of last year. Eligible groups will receive 1.8 million doses that Spain is hoping to possess in February, with more expected to arrive within the coming months. This process will run parallel to the continued vaccination campaign with the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, which are being administered to worry home residents and workers, frontline doctors, and other people with a requirement for daily assistance who aren’t living in care facilities.
The Spanish Medicines and Health Products Agency on Tuesday released the second evaluation of adverse effects seen in coronavirus vaccines. The study analyzed 1.1 million doses administered to January 24 and didn’t find any cases of severe or unexpected adverse effects. the foremost frequently reported side effects were fever, pain within the injection site, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and diarrhea.
According to the Health Ministry’s latest report from Tuesday, 2.1 million doses out of a complete available stock of two .4 million have already been administered. Around 832,000 people have received both doses. The overwhelming majority of the doses available in Spain are made by Pfizer-BioNTech (2.1 million), followed by AstraZeneca (196,800) and Moderna (87,700).
