Spain rejects the mandatory vaccine after the EU proposal to open the debate

The Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, has ruled out imposing in Spain the compulsory vaccination despite the fact that the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, recommended this Wednesday that the member states open the debate. In fact, Germany has picked up the glove and announced that it will introduce mandatory immunization probably from February. But the situation is very different in both countries. On Germany only 68.7% of its population has the complete pattern, compared to almost 80% in Spain (89% of the target population). And the European average is 66%.

For this reason, Darias has argued that, “as the” Spanish “situation is different”, the objective will be to continue vaccinating as “it is done” until now, that is, voluntarily. And it is that the minister has recognized “the very high citizen awareness” and the “high responsibility of the Spaniards” who not only approach the vaccination centers to be immunized but also to “protect others“.

In this context, he stressed that Spain is “leading” the administration of booster dose. Although, he has asked the autonomies to “continue to increase the pace” so that the highest percentage of those over 60, vaccinated with Janssen and health and social health professionals are immunized before Christmas.

The restrictions

The minister made these considerations after the second Interterritorial Council held in person during the pandemic. A meeting where some councilors have spoken in favor of tighten restrictions before the advance of the sixth wave -the incidence has risen this Thursday almost 17 points, to 234 cases per 100,000- and the danger posed by the variant omicron, given that the first case of community transmission has already been detected, that is, of a person infected with the strain detected in South Africa but who has not traveled to Africa or had contact with any person from this continent.

However, the minister has assured that “the majority feeling” of the communities has been to continue with the vaccination strategy and the “culture of care”, in reference to the use of masks, safety distance or indoor ventilation. In this regard, the minister has appealed to “avoid crowds” during the Constitution Bridge. Whenever you go shopping in a crowded area, he recalled, “you have to wear your mask and keep your distance.”

Childhood Vaccine

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On the other hand, the minister has informed the councilors that as of December 13, 1.3 million doses of Pfizer’s pediatric vaccines will arrive, to which another 2 million will be added in January. A sufficient quantity to vaccinate the 3.3 million children between the ages of five and 11. It will be the Public Health Commission, next Tuesday, which will foreseeably authorize the vaccination of this sector of the population and, from that moment, the planning of how to carry out the punctures will be agreed.

The long Interterritorial Council has also debated dozens of issues that they were pending and that they have nothing to do with the covid. There have been 18 agreements, such as the approval of the digital health and mental health strategy, an HIV prevention plan and the expansion of the portfolio of services. Of course, the mental health strategy includes a section on the effects caused by the pandemic and, for the first time, includes a comprehensive chapter aimed at preventing suicide.