Latest: Coronavirus in Spain figures (13 Oct)
The Spanish Health Ministry has confirmed that third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can be administered to the over-70s, hoping to improve their protection against Covid-19.
The country had already authorised booster shots for cancer patients, nursing home residents and other vulnerable groups with compromised immune systems. Also read: Spain to also give third dose of Covid-19 vaccine to care home residents.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are based on the same messenger RNA technology, and Spain’s National Public Health Commission will offer booster jab vaccinations from late October to elderly people who received a second vaccine dose more than six months ago.
Meanwhile, Europe’s medicines watchdog has approved a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine for all over-18s, against a background of fears that protection against the virus could diminish over time.
Extra doses of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines were also approved for people with severely weakened immune systems by the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency (EMA).
‘Comirnaty booster doses may be considered for people aged 18 years and older, at least six months after the second dose,’ the EMA said in a statement, referring to the brand name for the Pfizer vaccine. ‘Decisions for boosters will be taken by public health bodies at national level.’
‘The risk of inflammatory heart conditions or other very rare side effects after a booster is not known and is being carefully monitored,’ the EMA added.
More than 15 countries worldwide have begun issuing third doses, including EU nations Spain, France, Italy and Germany.
Latest figures (with data collated up to Monday 4 October) show that Spain has administered 70,279,166 jabs of the Covid vaccine. 36,771,680 people have now been fully vaccinated, which is 77.5% of the total population. In a separate report, we publish the amount of vaccines administered for each region and its population in Spain, as well as the overall percentage of citizens vaccinated per age group: Covid-19 Vaccinations in Spain
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