Booster shot appointments open to over 40s

Booster vaccine appointments have been opened up to people over the age of 40. 

You can find all information on where and how to get a vaccination appointment here.

General secretary of public health in Catalonia, Carmen Cabezas, made the announcement in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. 

She added that there are over 200,000 appointments available, along with more pediatric shots to be given. The vaccine campaign was opened up to children aged 5-11 in mid-December.

Public health secretary Carmen Cabezas has said that all of the booster shots will be Pfizer or Moderna and that previous vaccines will not determine the kind of third dose received. If using Moderna, however, health workers will only administer half-a-dose as it has a higher amount of mRNA than Pfizer.

Those over 55 who received AstraZeneca or Janssen will be able to get a booster jab three months after the last dose, while those who were vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna will have to wait a minimum of six months between the second and the booster shots.

Omicron variant dominant

Catalonia's health authorities also announced that nearly 100% of new Covid-19 cases are now of the Omicron variant.

The department of health estimate that Omicron became the dominant strain in Catalonia from around December 17. 

However, Cabezas also explained that the probability of being admitted to hospital as a result of the latest Covid-19 strain is less than the previous one, Delta. The health general secretary also added that the probability of requiring intensive care is also lowered. 

Covid-19 record numbers

The arrival of the Omicron variant in Catalonia has skyrocketed all epidemiological numbers recorded by health authorities. In the last week, Catalonia has registered 109,671 new Covid cases.

On December 27, new daily cases reached an all-time high of 24,006. One day later, the number reduced to 22,972 new cases, a lower amount but still the second-highest figure since the pandemic began.

The incidence rate is also reaching levels never seen before. On December 28 it reached 1,591.42 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days, a new record that surpasses the previous one, a day earlier, of 1,513.37.