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SPAIN'S population will be vaccinated against Covid-19 annually, and the health ministry has struck a deal with Pfizer and Moderna for the next two years, reveals its leader Carolina Darías.
During an interview on the programme Más de Uno on Onda Cero radio, she said the aim was for '100% of residents' to be immunised 'if possible'.
“Achieving herd immunity means we have to keep vaccinating everyone until we reach, if possible, 100% or, if not, as near as we can get to that – and then vaccinating the rest of the world,” she explained, referring to Spain's decision to donate vaccines to poorer countries and those with more problems accessing the immunisation formulae.
Asked whether Covid jabs would be an annual phenomenon, like the winter 'flu shot, Sra Darías (pictured above) said: “Yes, without any doubt. What we have to determine is exactly when.”
She said that after this would come 'the crucial debate about immunising children'.
“Many people say that children do not pass Covid on, but we need to reach full immunity, so we're going to have to vaccinate them,” she argues.
“This pandemic is dynamic, and we need to make fresh decisions every minute.”
Scientists are now looking into starting clinical trials for Covid vaccines for the under-fives and babies, and are already at the second and third phases of trials in those aged five to 11.
This week, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the Moderna jab for the 12-17 age group, having already signed off the Pfizer for them in May.
Carolina Darías explained on air that her government had signed contracts to the value of €1.8 billion with Pfizer and around €480 million with Moderna for vaccine doses to be delivered in time for 2022 and 2023.
Spain will also receive booster doses in order to give a third shot, although dates for inoculation have not been confirmed.
Several countries have started planning to distribute third doses, after the Pfizer vaccine creators said doing so would optimise immunity, although the science community has its doubts, saying there is 'no evidence as yet that it is necessary'.
Sra Darías confirmed that as at Thursday this week (July 22), Spain had broken the 25 million barrier with residents who had been fully vaccinated, either with two doses or, in the case of the Janssen vaccine, one dose, as a follow-up is not needed.
This means approximately 53% of Spain's population is now immunised.
The health minister said current contagion rates appeared to be a two-speed issue – in parts of the country where levels had soared in recent weeks, these are now starting to drop, but in others where they had originally been low, they are rising again.
She says the vaccine strategy is working, since the number of hospital admissions and mortality rates were much lower in what is becoming known as the 'fifth wave' of the pandemic, given that the majority of positives are either very young adults, typically under 40 – corresponding with the ages which have not yet been immunised – or, if they are older, tend to be asymptomatic.
Whilst on the programme, Sra Darías was asked about the relaxation of mask-wearing rules, given that members of the government's opposition announced they intend to appeal against the decision for these to no longer be compulsory in the open air.
She stressed that the law only permits people to go mask-free outdoors if they are able to keep a minimum distance of 1.5 metres between themselves and the next person, where this person is not a member of their household.
“We've seen footage of crowds where nobody's wearing masks, and that's not legal or justifiable,” she insists.
“Lots of people are still wearing masks outside in any case.”
The Basque Country has imposed a law which makes it compulsory to wear masks in 'crowded urban areas', and Carolina Darías says this is in line with the sentiment behind the new rules.
She concluded that she will not be taking a holiday this summer, as she and her department 'need to be alert' to any changes in the pandemic situation.
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