Although it has only been three and a half years since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic in Spain, it seems that much more time has passed. Fear of the disease has faded, and this is reflected in vaccination rates. According to official data from Sergas, in the case of those in their sixties, the percentage of those who have been vaccinated in this campaign has decreased by almost 20 percent compared to the fall-winter of 2022.
The Galician Health Service (Sergas) began the joint flu and COVID vaccination campaign at the end of October, and opened two mass immunization points in the health area of Pontevedra and O Salnés: the administrative building of the Xunta in Campolongo , and the Hospital do Salnés. At this time, the campaign is facing its final stretch, hence there is already enough data to get an idea of how it has gone.
The data provided by the deputy director of Nursing for the Pontevedra-O Salnés area, Silvia Amoedo, is heterogeneous. In general, there is a decrease in the percentage of citizens who have been vaccinated in all age groups. But this drop is much more pronounced the younger the target population is. Thus, Arousans and Pontevedra residents over 80 years of age have been the most cautious, and the decrease in the vaccination rate has been only 10 percent compared to 2022 in that age group.
However, in the case of patients between 60 and 64 years old, the majority of them have refused to be immunized against both flu and COVID. In this case, the decrease compared to last year in the percentage of vaccinated has been 20 percent.
Sergas will keep the campaign active until the end of the year, and Silvia Amoedo advises the population over 60 years of age, with risk pathologies, living with vulnerable people or working in essential services to go and get the injection. In this sense, she warns that although the general perception is that the threat is already something of the past, the reality is that the incidence of respiratory infections in general is increasing greatly in recent weeks. A statement supported by the greater number of admissions to emergency rooms and hospital wards.
In any case, those most loyal to vaccination continue to be those over 80 years of age, also due to the fact that they are the most exposed to serious complications if they catch the flu or COVID. From October to November 30, 78.23 percent of the target population of that age came to be immunized against flu in the health area of O Salnés and Pontevedra. The deputy director of Nursing affirms that this is a “very high” rate, although in the years of the pandemic the disease was given much more respect, and the vaccination rate exceeded 85 percent. In the case of COVID, the rate among those over 80 years of age was 74.71 percent, which indicates that there is a significant number of octogenarians who have preferred to protect themselves only from the flu.
Between 60 and 79 years
The same thing happens with the population between 70 and 79 years old, given that 69.06 percent of them have received the flu injection, while only 65.5 percent requested the new coronavirus injection. On the other hand, Arousans and Pontevedra residents between 60 and 69 years old have more respect for COVID.
According to official figures from the health area, 53.23% of people between 65 and 69 years old have been protected from the flu, compared to 53.62% who received the COVID injection. The difference is percentage-wise greater in the case of the population between 60 and 64 years old. In this age group, the adherence rate to the flu campaign was 38 percent, while in the case of the coronavirus it rises to 41.63%.
This year, Sergas also encouraged children between six months and five years old to be vaccinated, although in this case only for the flu. Participation has also been discreet, since until the end of November only 37 percent of the registered minors had been administered the antidote.
Doors open the weekend of the 16th and 17th, to facilitate attendance
Sergas is confident that a large number of citizens will still come to get vaccinated between now and the end of the year. In many cases, those lagging behind do want to be immunized, but at the time they did not do so because they had contracted COVID a few weeks before. Consequently, they can now be refished. The Pontevedra-O Salnés health area wants to make it easier for those who wish to get the injection, which is why it will repeat the open days that took place at the beginning of the campaign. In Pontevedra it will be on the 16th and 17th of this month, while at the Hospital do Salnés it will be done only on the 16th (Saturday), between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., and between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Likewise, vaccinations against flu are already being carried out in all health centers. Of course, those who want to protect themselves from COVID must still go to the “vaccination centers.” The hours of these centers vary starting next week.
Vaccination points change hours
The vaccination point located in the assembly hall of the Hospital do Salnés was opening every day until now. But starting next week, it will only do so on Tuesdays and Fridays. This is an adjustment that is made every year in the final stretch of the campaign, as patient attendance declines. In the case of Campolongo, the vaccination point is closed and moved to Montecelo. In Campolongo, the last days of vaccination will be today, Thursday and Saturday. It closes at 3:00 p.m. on December 9. From then on, patients must travel to Montecelo on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, in the morning and afternoon, or on Saturday mornings. You can make an appointment through the Sergas Móbil app or at health centers.
2023-12-07 05:10:06
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