Third Covid jab for residents aged 60-69, care workers and health service staff

JUST days after announcing that everyone vaccinated against Covid-19 with the single-dose Janssen formula would be given a Pfizer or Moderna booster, Spain's government has now revealed plans to treble-jab the population aged 60 to 69, as well as care workers and healthcare staff.

The ultimate decision for doing so will lie in the hands of each regional health authority, but it is likely that they will all follow central government recommendations to do so.

At present, all residents aged 70 and over who were vaccinated with the Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca are being given a third dose, either Pfizer or Moderna, at the same time as their annual influenza jab, and this will now extend to those aged 60 and over as well as front-line medical and care home staff and those employed as home carers.

The 'flu jab is given automatically to all residents aged 65 and over, or younger if they have health problems that make them more at risk of either catching 'flu or becoming seriously ill if they did.

Those who have not already had theirs and are aged under 70 are likely to be given their third Covid dose at the same time, but those who have had the influenza vaccine or do not want to wait will either be summoned by their local health authority when the third Covid dose is in place for their age group, or can book an appointment specially.

This is strongly advised, in fact, since the date upon which third injections for those aged 60 and over will start has not yet been set, and it could be risky to delay a 'flu jab on this basis.

Under-70s of any age who are immune-compromised should already have been called for their third Covid jab at the same time as the 70-plus community.

Spain's president Pedro Sánchez said the aim was to keep the vaccination process running 'without interruption' in a bid to 'keep contagion rates low', given that the country has one of the lowest rates of Covid in Europe at present.

Figures have shown a slight rise, but at 88 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (0.088% of the population), it is well below that of this time last year when the cut-off point for taking special measures to protect the public was around 0.5% of the population, or 500 cases per 100,000.

Epidemiologists have said Spain's good progress is largely due to the high percentage of residents vaccinated – about 90% of the target population, or those aged 12 and over, and around 80% of the headcount as a whole, with just over 2.9 million thought to have had a third dose by now.

Of these third doses, 2.5 million have been given the Pfizer.

The decision to lower the minimum age for a third jab – except among care workers and healthcare employees, and the immune-compromised, who will receive it irrespective of their age – is because the immune system begins to weaken from around 60 years old and, even though Covid vaccines are highly effective and offer levels of protection from contagion, falling ill, being hospitalised and dying ranging from about 68% to over 95%, this extra immunity provided by the third jab could make the difference to those who may not be fully protected by the double dose.

Pedro Sánchez says he hopes to seek consensus from all regional governments for a third jab for the 60-plus community, but that if this is not possible, it will go ahead as a compulsory measure binding on all regional health authorities if a majority of the 19 are in favour.

It is very probable that a majority agreement will be found, given that more than half of Spain's regions are governed by the socialists (PSOE), the same party as that of Pedro Sánchez.

Some look as though they may oppose the decision – Madrid regional health councillor Enrique Ruiz Escudero says there is 'no evidence' that the Covid vaccines start to lose effectiveness after six months, although Spain's own health ministry has analysed data which contradict his views and conclude that a third jab does, in fact, offer extra protection.

The husband-and-wife team who founded the BioNTech laboratory and created the Pfizer jab have said for months now that their formula needs a third dose to maximise protection.