Spain debates extending Covid booster to under 40s

Almost 16 million people in Spain have now received a third coronavirus vaccine

The Public Health Commission in Spain is set to meet on Thursday January 13 to debate the proposal put forward by the Vaccine Report to begin administering the booster coronavirus jab to people under the age of 40.

Although the age range has dropped by decades during previous stages of the campaign, health sources have indicated that the Ministry of Health may today choose to open up the booster jabs to everyone over the age of 18 in the coming weeks.

Spain began administering the third dose to nursing home residents and immunosupressed patients in mid-September; on November 23, this was extended to people aged over 60 and since December 15, anyone over the age of 40 can receive the booster.

The move comes after Spain’s Minister of Health’s controversial decision at the end of last year to go against the EU’s advice to administer the third jab to the entire population. Although Europe insisted that “it could potentially reduce transmission” of Covid and “prevent additional hospitalisations and deaths”, Spain stuck to its guns and administered the boosters in order of age.

With all this set to change shortly, another fly in the ointment is the Ministry of Health’s January 5th decision to give an extra dose within four weeks to anyone who had tested positive for coronavirus, provided that it has been six months since they were administered the full regimen. Spain was heavily criticised for this move by many experts who claim that previously infected patients carry sufficient antibodies for protection.

Image: Archive

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