CARE home residents and staff and front-line healthcare workers have nearly all had their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19, and many are already starting to receive their second jabs – after which, the next group will be the over-80s not living in nursing accommodation.
Health minister Salvador Illa said that as at the middle of this week, a million people in Spain had had their first immunisation dose – although local media sources say many care homes have started giving out the booster jab, meaning elderly people living in sheltered accommodation, those who look after them, and medical employees will already be, it is hoped, fully immune to the effects of the virus.
It is not clear whether they can still catch it and pass it on – in theory, the antibodies they receive through the injection will kill off the virus in their system, albeit probably not instantly – but the idea of the vaccine is that those who have it will not suffer any adverse effects if the SARS-CoV-2 enters their bodies.
Health workers, and those living or working in nursing homes, who have already contracted the virus or, in the case of the latter two groups, if there are any active cases on the premises, will have to wait until they all test negative before vaccines can be administered.
With the first priority 'slot' being nearly complete, Spain is nearly ready to start the second, which will be people aged more than 80 and not living in care homes.
Unlike in the UK, where the different groups of society are being vaccinated faster, Spain has opted to 'finish' one segment at a time by giving their second doses before moving onto the next group – in Britain, the over-75s are having their vaccines now care home staff and residents and hospital workers have had their first, but appointments to get a second jab are typically not available at present until March.
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