Health Department will have to rely on stored vaccines to guarantee second doses in care homes
1.2% of vaccinated residents were infected in the first twelve days after receiving the vaccine
Santa Coloma de GramenetCatalan Public Health officials are allocating the 30,000 vaccines received on Monday from Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, half the expected amount, to administering second doses to care home users."This week, the 20,000 doses that were kept as a strategic reserve for the first three weeks will not be used", according to Public Health Secretary Josep Maria Argimon. However, after the pharmaceutical company's delay, Catalonia is completely dependent on the arrival of the full delivery, that is, the 60,000 weekly doses committed, and will also have to use the reserve of 20,000 to guarantee its vaccination plan."Next week we will have to administer 80,000 second doses and therefore we have the commitment that the 60,000 from Pfizer will arrive," he admitted. So far, however, Argimon has stressed that the goal of 160,000 doses in three weeks has been achieved: "We have administered all the doses we have received," he said.
The vaccination campaign against covid-19 is progressing throughout Catalonia and there are now 161,481 people who have received the first dose, mainly elderly people and health professionals. In addition, 872 people have received the second injection and, therefore, should acquire full protection against the disease in the coming weeks.The Deputy Director General of Health Promotion, Carmen Cabezas, has admitted that there have been some new infections among people who have been vaccinated
Specifically, 1.2% of the elderly who were vaccinated have been infected within the first 12 days after receiving the vaccine. After this period, only 0.02% have been infected."The majority of cases have been transmitted in the first 12 days after receiving the first vaccination, and this coincides with preliminary data on the effectiveness of the vaccine, which indicate that a certain protective effect is observed from the 12th day," said Cabezas.
As every Wednesday, Argimon and Cabezas have appeared to update and monitor the status of vaccination in the country. The secretary explained that Catalonia has vaccinated 75% of people living in residences and now will intensify vaccination among healthy users and workers in care homes that have an active outbreaks.
An overwhelming majority of health professionals want to be vaccinated, he stressed, and refusal is minimal. He regretted, however, that on a Friday there were reports of fewer doses arriving than expected on Monday. "Everything is going very fast, from one day to the next. We will receive 8,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine next week, and during the month of February, over 80,000". He is confident that in March vaccination of the over-70s will start, as announced by the Spanish Minister of Health, Salvador Illa.
Argimon said that vaccination could be carried out 24 hours a day but that it would have to be in "very specific centres" and that the mobile vaccination points, which are being considered, would be a complementary strategy. These would happen in large, open spaces.
