Vaccine rollout opened to all over 12s with no prior appointment needed

Catalonia’s health department have opened up the vaccine rollout to all people over the age of 12 with no need to book a prior appointment. The walk-in jabs will be available in afternoons, from 4 pm to 8 pm. 

The shots will be available at various vaccination points throughout Catalonia.

Although walk-in vaccines are now available, the health department still urges the population to make bookings to facilitate with the organization and smooth operation at vaccine centres. 

The decision was made on Tuesday in the face of a decrease in requests for appointments due to the summer holidays. Health authorities have also seen an increase in the number of people who, despite having an appointment, do not show up.

The department says that with this measure, it wants to make it easier for the return to schools, classes, and jobs in September with the maximum possible coverage among the population.

Catalonia's health department has underlined that there are still around 3,000 new daily cases of Covid-19, reminding people not to let their guard down.

Secretary of public health Carmen Cabezas pointed out that the age groups between 30-50 who have not yet been fully vaccinated are those who are mostly admitted to the ICU, and there are currently nearly 600 patients requiring intensive care from the coronavirus. 

The least-immunized age groups are the youngest: 20.6% of people aged 16-19 are fully immunized, 23.1% of those aged 20-29, while just 33.8% of 30-34-year-olds are considered fully protected from the virus.

On August 4 it was announced that adolescents from 12-15 would be allowed to book their vaccine appointments.

Vaccine rollout progress

As of August 9, 2021, 5,332,156 residents have been given the first dose of the vaccine, 67.6% of the total population. Out of those, 4,167,900 have also been administered a second dose (53% of the total population). 

A total of 4,694,969 residents are considered to be fully immunized (59.6%). Under 65s who have already had the virus are only required to have the first dose, and others have received a single-dose jab. Therefore, the % of two doses administered and % fully immunized do not match.