More than 2,000 people go to get vaccinated in Seville without an appointment deceived by a hoax

Queue at the entrance to the Sadus sports hall of the University of Seville, this Thursday.PACO PUENTES / EL PAÍS

More than 2,000 people over 80 years old and enrolled in mutuals have gone this Thursday without an appointment to the vaccination point against the coronavirus installed in Seville, in the center of the Sports Activities Service of the University of Seville (Sadus) in Los Bermejales.

The elderly have come forward after receiving false messages through different WhatsApp groups that say: “Anyone over 80 who is not vaccinated can now go to Sadus de Bermejales.

It doesn't matter if it's from Muface.

All those over 80 who are not vaccinated ”.

The messages encouraged them to come even if they did not have an appointment.

• Spain fails to meet the goal of vaccinating 80% of those over 80 in March

• Andalusia has vaccinated with a dose of 91% of those over 80, while Catalonia remains at 54%

Faced with the queues that have formed, at times with more than 4,000 people - since the elderly are usually accompanied by two or three family members - the Andalusian Health Service (SAS) has decided to reinforce the operation and vaccinate all those who it is possible during the day, even if they did not have an appointment.

A spokesman for the Junta de Andalucía reported: “The SAS had summoned 2,000 people between eight in the morning and eight in the afternoon;

but at 12:30 the 2,000 planned doses had been used up ”.

“You have to be sensitive to these people who are older and have been deceived.

They have made an effort to attend and, as far as possible, we will vaccinate them.

90% of people aged 80 to 90 who are in the SAS have already been vaccinated.

Most of those who have come today without an appointment belong to mutuals, such as Muface or the Institute of the Armed Forces, and they are being summoned by phone, but the numbers they have provided us are in many cases old and we have no way of locate them ”, explained the same source.

Queues at the entrance to the Sadus sports hall of the University of Seville, this Thursday.PACO PUENTES / EL PAÍS

The Andalusian Ministry of Health and Families has reinforced the operation by calling nurses, administrators and guards who were on rest this Holy Thursday and have immediately joined the vaccination point.

In addition, the council has provided another 2,000 injections.

“They are doses that we had planned for Friday and Saturday and we are throwing them away, in addition to some that were in reserve.

We do not want this to become a knock-on effect, we are doing it to avoid a second displacement of people so elderly who, in many cases, have mobility problems.

But we are not going to leave unvaccinated anyone who had their appointment, "added the spokesman.

The SAS legal services have prepared a complaint that has been filed with the National Police for the dissemination of this hoax that has generated an agglomeration of people and "has interfered in the normal vaccination process."

"It is about discovering the origin of the deception that is perfectly prepared to try to harm the vaccination campaign," said the spokesman for the regional government.

Civil Protection and the Local Police of Seville have collaborated in the control of the long queues that have formed in the morning of this Thursday in front of the Sadus de Los Bermejales.

Other hoaxes that have circulated on two previous occasions in the campaign, but with less effect, have also been reported to the Police.

One, similar to this, occurred last Wednesday at the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Seville, and another, several weeks ago, urging people not to go to a vaccination point because there were not enough doses, what That caused many to miss their appointment.

According to the Junta de Andalucía, until this Wednesday 1,488,270 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the community, 90.29% of those received.

And 5.95% of the population, 515,528 people, have already completed the vaccination.

The Ministry of Health explained this Wednesday that Andalusia is the region that over 80 years has vaccinated with a dose, reaching 91%, while Catalonia remains at 54%.