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Spain faces a rise in cases with only half of those over 80 vaccinated

2021-03-25T04:55:20.489Z


The rate of immunization is slightly behind the EU as a whole, which has already administered a puncture to 55% of that age group


Vaccination of people over 80 years of age at the Isabel Zendal Hospital, on March 17 in Madrid.Jaime Villanueva

The epidemic curve of coronavirus rebounds in Spain and a part of the most vulnerable population continues to be in danger of contracting the covid.

In the midst of the rise in incidence - this Wednesday it was 132 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days - and with the threat of a fourth wave approaching, only 50% of people over 80 years of age have received at least the first dose of the vaccine, as calculated by EL PAÍS from the data provided by the autonomous communities.

This represents around 1.2 million people, apart from those in residences, which can be considered that practically 100% have already been immunized.

Spain is slightly behind the EU as a whole, which has already administered a puncture to 55% of people in that age group.

The vaccination rate is very heterogeneous between communities and continues to be at the mercy of the arrival of vaccines, which has not been without its setbacks either.

However, those over 80 years of age are being treated with Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna drugs, so they have not been affected by the stoppage in the application of the AstraZeneca drug, which has an age limit (first 55 years, now 65 years) to be used.

In fact, the vast majority of the 5.7 million doses received from Pfizer have already been administered (5.2 million).

Of those of Moderna, which have arrived far fewer and more irregularly, 58% have been administered.

To estimate how many people over 80 have been vaccinated, the population over 79 years old according to the INE (2.8 million) has been taken and the part that is institutionalized (in residences) has been subtracted, which is a group that it is vaccinated almost in its entirety.

According to a study by researchers from the CSIC Research Department, it has been taken as a criterion that 80% of the people admitted are over 80 years old.

This leaves a group of about 2.5 million among the 17 communities and the two autonomous cities as the target for vaccination.

Once the population within this age group was established by communities, the total number of partially immunized was obtained from the data of the autonomies themselves.

These percentages in some cases, such as those in Madrid and Murcia, are from previous days, so the real number of people with a dose in practice is sure to be higher.

Andalusia, Navarra and La Rioja are above 60%.

The Autonomous Community has already stated that it hopes to have finished with the immunizations in this group next week.

Of the 19 health administrations - in the absence of data from Melilla - the most advanced is Ceuta, with 84% of first doses given.

At the opposite extreme is Catalonia (30%, according to the Generalitat), followed by the Canary Islands (36.3%).

The Ministry of Health ensures that vaccines are distributed equitably among the communities according to their population — those of Pfizer and Moderna, according to the priority population in the Vaccination Strategy;

and AstraZeneca's, depending on age.

But each community progresses unevenly.

Catalonia justifies its delay in the redistribution it makes of drugs.

“We have vaccinated everyone in health centers and also dependents and their caregivers.

In addition, we are vaccinating transplant patients and high-risk groups in hospitals with Moderna's vaccines, which have a lot of logistical complexity, ”says a spokeswoman.

Catalonia has gone ahead with the vaccination of transplanted patients, a risk group that, according to the national strategy, would have to be immunized simultaneously with those over 70.

Vaccination against covid in La Rioja.

As has already been seen in residences, the protection, even partial, of the elderly is very effective, and means reducing the mortality burden of the coronavirus, since they are the group in which the infection causes the greatest damage.

For this reason, having the most vulnerable vaccinated at medium gas when the epidemic curve rises again - Health reported 7,026 new infections and 320 deaths this Wednesday - and the British variant, more contagious, is predominant (it accounts for 50% of infections ), complicates the health scenario in the short term.

“It is a bad situation because, precisely, what interests us is to protect the most vulnerable.

If not, the risk of mortality skyrockets ”, alerts Toni Trilla, head of Preventive Medicine at the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.

Race against the virus

“This is a race between the virus and us and the vaccine.

If we do not anticipate it, the most vulnerable population is at risk.

The easy excuse is that we don't have vaccines, but I don't know if we could have done something else ”, the epidemiologist questions.

There is no criterion for determining whether the rate of vaccination is fast or slow.

But the fact that the percentage of vaccinated is similar to that of other EU countries and that most of the doses distributed have been administered indicates that, for the moment, the rate depends, indeed, more on the supply than on the capacity of the system.

It will be necessary to see when deliveries increase if the accelerator is pressed or the system does not cope.

On the table, however, is now the uncertainty of what would have happened if, following the British model, the AstraZeneca vaccine had been administered to the older population.

“The European Medicines Agency did not establish an age limit.

In Spain, a restrictive and guarantee analysis of the available data was carried out.

Now there is more evidence that it is safe and effective at any age.

If AstraZeneca had been administered, perhaps now there would be more protected population ”, reflects Trilla.

Daniel López-Acuña, former Director of Emergencies of the World Health Organization, agrees: “We should concentrate vaccination efforts on covering 100% of those over 80 in a couple of weeks. Use the AstraZeneca vaccine on them and as soon as is available, Janssen's too.

It does not make much sense that we are diverting attention from vaccination to people under 55. With the ups and downs and the presence of the British variant, the risk of affecting the elderly is very serious.

The European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) and the European Commission have asked countries to report on the rate of vaccination of the elderly.

In the EU, the information is already provided by all the countries except Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Romania.

Health assured this Wednesday that it will report the data to the ECDC shortly.

Taking the average of the 22 remaining European countries, 55% of those over 80 have received the first dose;

the complete guideline has been received by 23.6% of the target population.

Source: elparis

All life articles on 2021-03-25

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