Young unvaccinated people in Spain see a surge in Covid cases
The rapid spread of the delta variant of Covid-19 in Spain led to a rise in cases among young unvaccinated people
The spike of Covid-19 cases has reversed the downward trend Spain had been seeing since the end of April. Now, hospitals in regions including Catalonia are seeing double the number of Covid-19 patients than they did at the end of June (nearly 1,000).
Fernando Simón, Director of the Health Ministry’s Coordination Center for Health Alerts (CCAES), said that ‘the incidence rate among the unvaccinated is up to 20 times greater than that of the vaccinated’, and this presents a risk for the rest of the population.
Most vulnerable aged 60 to 69
The most vulnerable group are those aged 60 to 69, who are receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, since this vaccine requires a longer interval between the first and second doses than other vaccines. The waiting period was initially set at 12 weeks, but some regions have reduced it to eight weeks.
As a result of this long waiting period, only 70 per cent of the 60-69 age group hasreceived both doses, according to the latest Health Ministry report released on Monday. In contrast, 98 per cent of the over-70s and 83 per cent of the 50-59 population are fully vaccinated. A total of 58 per cent of the population (27.5 million people) has had at least one vaccine shot, while 44.3 per cent (nearly 21 million) are fully vaccinated.
Other European tourist destinations also rank high in Covid-19 incidences, including Portugal.