Argimon: "The age limit for the AstraZeneca vaccine will be lifted today or tomorrow"

BarcelonaThe secretary of Public Health, Josep Maria Argimon, has confirmed that this Wednesday the vaccination with AstraZeneca will resume in Catalonia, and has taken for granted that the Ministry of Health will authorize the elimination of its 55 year-old age limit, as Catalonia and other autonomous communities have been asking for weeks. In an interview with TV3, he explained that today there is a vaccine commission and tomorrow a public health commission, and that Catalonia will insist on the idea of being able to administer this vaccine to everyone regardless of their age. "Today or tomorrow the age limit will be lifted," he said.

Argimon, who has defended that the vaccine is "effective and safe", as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has concluded, has assured that if they raise the age limit, he himself would be vaccinated with AstraZeneca. He has pointed out that in principle he does not plan to do it live, but if it is necessary to do it to break the climate of distrust, he will. "There is no reason not to vaccinate the elderly quickly", he insisted. On having to wait until Wednesday to resume vaccination with AstraZeneca, the head of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology at Vall d'Hebron, Magda Campins, regretted that it will not be done like Italy, Germany or France, which will administer it today. The doctor warned that every day without vaccination "is a day lost to prevent deaths".

The secretary of Public Health has also advanced that, in addition to the lifting of the age limit, they will also defend before the ministry the need to rethink the vaccination strategy and, reflecting what is done in Canada or in the United Kingdom, delay the second dose of the vaccine until 12 weeks have passed. He is confident that in summer 30% of the population will have been vaccinated or even, he said, a somewhat higher percentage, and that between the months of April and May sufficient doses will arrive to enter a massive phase of vaccination.

Few vaccines for Easter

Argimon, who has asked everyone to act with "responsibility" over the next few days to prevent the situation from becoming more critical, has admitted that during the days of Easter the vaccination rhythm will slow down because health workers also need "air" and an "emotional break". He also acknowledged that it is "discriminatory" that restaurants in shopping centres cannot open, an aspect he justified in order to prevent people from going "to spend the day" in shopping centres, but he is confident that this restriction can be lifted soon and that, with a focus on Easter, there will be no backtracking on the easing of restrictions.

The doctor also referred to people who live alone and who may feel discriminated against for not being able to leave the region with their support bubble, and assured that what is needed is individual responsibility because everyone chooses who their support bubble is, even if they do not live with them.