Daily updates

The Director of Co-ordination for the Covid crisis gave a press conference yesterday in which he stated the situation in Spain was improving but the number of cases and deaths was still too high to lower the guard. He also stated the number of patients hospitalised and in ICU was increasing despite the lowering of cases. He also hinted at restrictions being extended to cover the Christmas period but also stated they would be moderated.

Despite cases going down in Spain, the Valencia Community has seen the greatest rise in the number of cases and admissions to ICUs. From being one of the lowest with cases in the whole of Spain, it has now gone to one of the highest with an infection rate of 16% of those tested showing positive. Anything above 4% is on the danger list and is the highest of all the autonomous regions. Unfortunately, deaths are also rising and the average of 15 deaths per day last week has shown an increase up to 25 this week (28 died yesterday). Just a word of caution for those who are starting to let their guard down.

The Minister of Health, Salvador Illa, is currently giving a press conference regarding the Spanish plan for the Covid vaccine.
He has stated that the vaccine will only be rolled out if the tests and efficacy of the vaccine is proved and meets EU standards. If the vaccines are proved then Spain will receive 140 million units from the various companies which is enough to vaccinate everyone in Spain over the next year with two doses and that the health services will be reinforced to aim for everyone to be vaccinated by the end of Summer 2021.

The vaccine will start with health workers, those in residential homes, those aged 65 and over, those with severe disabilities, those with at risk conditions, those who work or live in closed communities plus others who work in vital services serving the public. The plan is to avoid hospitalisation and lower the pressures on health services and to avoid deaths by giving the most vulnerable the vaccine.
He reiterated that the vaccine will not be mandatory and, if the vaccine does not pass safety and efficacy requirements, it will not be given to any group including the elderly.

Regarding Christmas, Ximo Puig (pres of the Valencian Region) again said the full details will be given on December 9th when the current restrictions expire and will depend on the ongoing situation. He did hint that mobility between regions could be relaxed on certain days along with family group meetings being raised to 10 and the curfew being put back until 0100 on Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Some of the above is very worrying. Once again thank you Marcliff for the update.

If, like me, you do not qualify to use the Spanish health care system do you know where we stand in getting vaccinated please?

Angela17 wrote:Some of the above is very worrying. Once again thank you Marcliff for the update.

If, like me, you do not qualify to use the Spanish health care system do you know where we stand in getting vaccinated please?

I too am interested in a reply to this. In the UK I'm in the "vulnerable" group, but I have had to take out private health insurance for the TIE as I'm under UK state pension age. What happens to people with private health care? Do they also get the vaccine? If so, how far down the queue?

I would be very surprised if the vaccine was not rolled out free of charge as part of a public health programme. The EU Commission has requested that all EU countries make it free of charge to all citizens. It will probably go by age brackets once the first round of the vaccine programme for health workers, the old and those who are vulnerable due to underlying health conditions is rolled out.

Bee

I wouldn't like to speculate. The Min of Health has given out the fifteen categories that will be the first to get the vaccine and that it will be free to all. Whether or not that means people not on the Spanish NHS system is pure guesswork.

I suppose the best guess (purely a guess) is how people not on the Spanish system go about getting their flu vaccinations.

I agree with Bee, everyone is entitled to be vaccinated.
Although you , like most people are keen to be vaccinated, I doubt if they can refuse to vaccinate you. Do you have a GP? Why should you have to pay for it when we are told that it’s to be available to everyone? Mind you, it is a concern for you and others in the same situation and unlikely that anyone at this point and time will be able to tell you for certain. Definitely contact your health provider and enquire. Good luck.

I would have thought they'd want everybody vacinated to protect us all ?

Well, here's a new one. Not a Spanish update but the president of the European Economic and Social Committee has said that an employer can refuse to take on a worker if they don't have the vaccine. She said as long as the company policy is for everyone to have the vaccine then they would be well within their rights to stipulate in the contract that a person must have the vaccine before being offered employment.

Not sure if that would actually work what with the number of Human Rights cases that go through the courts for what seems the most trifling reasons.