Araceli, 96, the first vaccinated against the coronavirus in Spain
We all remember the image of the first person inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine in Spain on December 28, 2020. It was Araceli Hidalgo, 96, in a residence in Guadalajara. A story that was on the front page of all the media under sentences that predicted “the beginning of the end of the coronavirus” thanks to the arrival of the first vaccines that would allow the virus to be combated. Three years later, the photo is very different, and it is that not even the group considered most vulnerable, that of those over 60 years of age, now mostly go to be vaccinated with the fourth dose.
Despite the fact that accumulated evidence suggests that the fourth dose of the Covid 19 vaccines is essential to give greater protection to people with the most vulnerable immune systems and older people, the last Vaccination data report in Spain from the Ministry of Health February shows that only 59.8% of the population over 60 years of age (7,543,644 people) have received the second booster dose of the adapted vaccine. In other words, 40.1% of the elderly population has not received the fourth dose.
This data also contrasts with the figures for just a year ago, showing that 91.2% of the population over 60 years of age (11,505,304 people) had received the first booster dose of the Covid vaccine. This means that almost 4 million people over the age of 60 are still without this new dose. And within this data, the age group between 60 and 70 years is the one that has been vaccinated the least. Regarding the general population, the Ministry of Health reports that 39,285,625 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine since 2020, that is, 92.8% of the population over 12 years of age and just over half of the population (55.9%) has been added to the first memory dose.
Source: Ministry of Health
A trend that worries experts
“We have been warning about this trend that worries us for some time,” Jaime Pérez, president of the Spanish Vaccinology Association (@AEV_Vacunas), who assures that “although it is difficult to reach figures like those of last year, where 90% of those over 60 years of age were vaccinated with booster doses, Ideally, at least figures of 70-80% would be reached.. And the truth is that currently it barely reaches 60%, and in those over 60 to 70 years it is even lower.
From the Spanish Vaccinology Association they link these results fundamentally to relaxation on the part of the population, and also “maybe a certain distrust”. “Many people have been infected with the Ómicron variant, even when they were vaccinated and this could have generated mistrust,” says Pérez. “But We must not forget that the objective of vaccination is not so much not to get infected but to avoid the most serious cases and hospitalizations. Vaccination halves the risk of hospitalization, and it is 14 times lower in the case of people who have not been vaccinated.” At the same time, remember that the new doses that have been inoculated since September are adapted to the new variants of Omicron, BA.4 and BA.5.
The age group between 60 and 70 years, the one that is vaccinated the least
For the epidemiologist and spokesperson for the Madrid Public Health Association (@amasap), Fernando Garcia, “The most serious thing” is that in the age group between 60 and 70 years, vaccination coverage with the second booster dose is only 47%, that is, “it does not even reach half”. In the group between 70 and 80 years of age, the percentage rises somewhat, to 66%, while it is higher in those over 80 years of age, 76%, but “it is still a relatively low percentage for the severity of the disease in that cluster”. For him there are two circumstances that can explain this “so low” coverage. On the one hand, he points out that the health authorities, and in particular those of some autonomous communities, “have not promoted vaccination of the elderly to a sufficient degree.” “This may explain the differences in vaccination in communities: while Galicia, Asturias, Navarra, the Basque Country and Castilla y León have relatively acceptable coverage, in Ceuta, Melilla, the Canary Islands and Murcia the coverage is much lower”, he assures.
On the other hand, the epidemiologist considers that “The repeated messages that the pandemic was over, even if they are not true, have created a false security of protection in the population against Covid-19. But the truth is that, although with vaccination and with the new variants the disease is less serious and we have far exceeded the worst moments, it is still necessary to continue protecting oneself. Above all, the older population, which is the most vulnerable. And surely this population will have to receive regular booster doses to stay protected. There are still deaths from Covid-19, especially in the older population. And many of them could be avoided or have been avoided with booster doses,” he insists.
“The elderly need the new adapted doses”
In this sense, the immunologist and CSIC researcher, Matilde Cañelles (@CanellesMatilde), regrets that those over 60 are not up to date with the vaccines “because the updated ones protect against the variants that are circulating and they should get a dose at least once a year, just as they do with the flu.” Reason, he justifies, “is that their immune system does not keep a lasting memory of the virus and they need that annual memory. For this reason, he recommends that the elderly not be influenced by negative information against Covid vaccines, “sometimes manipulated, sometimes directly false.” And he says that “vaccines work and protect the elderly especially from hospitalization and death, but only if the recommended doses are given,” he warns.
Hence, from the Spanish Vaccinology Association, They call for us to start talking about new “seasonal” doses rather than “remembrance” These are vaccines that are adapted to the new variants and that will coincide, just like the flu, with more worrying seasonal periods such as autumn and winter. “In the US and in Europe, what we are seeing is a tendency to get vaccinated against Covid just before the cold season, as we have done in Spain since September 2022 and since October 2021.”
“This does not mean that the elderly who have not put it on wait until those dates, they should put it on now and maybe also in the fall, because the protection is relatively short, seasonal,” he insists. Regarding the rest of the population, the experts assure that those under 60 who are healthy can be vaccinated if they choose, but in their opinion, “in this group, adapted vaccination is not so important because the risk of complications is less, unless there are changes or some variation that affects young people more”, which he rules out for the moment.
