Half of Catalan residents could have 'at least one dose' of Covid-19 vaccine by June

If all goes according to plan, half of Catalonia's residents will have received "at least one dose" of a Covid-19 vaccine by June, while 30% will have had both.

Speaking to RAC1 radio station on Monday, health secretary general Marc Ramentol said that if there are no further delivery delays, 70% of the population should be inoculated "before the end of August."

Ramentol also commented on the age limit for the administration of AstraZeneca vaccines in Spain, which had been capped at 55 but was changed to 65 on Monday, arguing that those who are older should be able to receive the jab too, while also urging the European Medicines Agency to study the efficacy of other treatments including Russia's Sputnik.

And although public health secretary Josep Maria Argimon stated last week that there would be fewer people inoculated over Easter, Ramentol maintained that "the rollout will not stop" due to the holiday and that "all of the vaccines that are received will be administered."

As for how the vaccine rollout will affect the summer holidays, the health secretary general believes there will be fewer restrictions than those in place last year over the same period, somewhat easing the pressure on the population. 

Vaccine rollout in Catalonia

The Covid-19 vaccine rollout began on December 27, 2020, with a Pfizer-BioNTech dose given to 89-year-old care home resident Josefa Pérez.

Authorities have a stated aim of administering vaccines to 70% of the population by the end of 2021, which, according to them, would ensure group immunity.

According to the latest figures from the Catalan health department, as of March 21, 2021, 663,988 residents have been given the first dose of the vaccine, 8.60% of the total population. Out of those, 344,912 have also been administered the second dose (4.47% of the total population).

Anyone resident in Catalonia is entitled to receive the vaccine. To do so, they must ensure that they are registered with the public health system CatSalut.

Covid-19 vaccination progress in top priority groups (updated every Tuesday)