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VACCINE

Almost one in five people in Spain are immune to Covid-19, study

Spain's herd immunity to the coronavirus has reached almost 20 percent of the population, according to a study by a prominent Spanish epidemiological institute.

Published: 1 March 2021 11:26 CET
Almost one in five people in Spain are immune to Covid-19, study
Photo: Cesar Manso/AFP

According to the Spanish Epidemiological Society (SEE), 19 percent of the population is immune to coronavirus, a total of 9.7 million people.

The measure is based on a combination of those who have either been vaccinated or have had the illness already and have acquired antibodies to fight the virus.

An estimated 4.7 million people had antibodies from the virus in the most recent study by the research body Carlos III Health Institute.

A further two million people have become immune since autumn and three million people have received the vaccine.

Joan Caylà, a spokesperson for the SEE, told Spanish medical publication Redacción Médica that this figure should ideally reach 70 percent of the population before summer.

This would allow cases of coronavirus to fall, the tourism industry to reopen and the Spanish economy to recover.

Caylà said that those who have had the virus should wait six months until after they are diagnosed before they can receive a vaccination. Those who have not had the virus should be prioritised in the vaccination rollout.

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“It makes sense to vaccinate those who have not had Covid first so that the short term results from vaccination will be faster,” Caylà said.

“We know that those who have had the virus, with clinical proof, have immunity for a certain time and so they are not a priority.”

The increase in herd immunity comes after there were more Spanish coronavirus deaths in February than any month since April.

More than 10,000 people died from the virus during February, 15 percent of the total number of deaths during the pandemic.

The largest portion of deaths took place in Madrid, Andalusia, Catalonia, Valencia, Castilla y Leon and Castilla-La Mancha.

However, cases of coronavirus fell throughout the month, from 865 cases per 100,000 residents at the beginning of the month to less than 200 cases per 100,000 residents in the fourteen days to February 26th. 

By Ian Johnston

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COVID-19

Public Health Agency recommends two Covid doses next year for elderly

Sweden's Public Health Agency is recommending that those above the age of 80 should receive two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine a year, once in the spring and once in the autumn, as it shifts towards a longer-term strategy for the virus.

Published: 23 December 2022 10:53 CET
Public Health Agency recommends two Covid doses next year for elderly

In a new recommendation, the agency said that those living in elderly care centres, and those above the age of 80 should from March 1st receive two vaccinations a year, with a six month gap between doses. 

“Elderly people develop a somewhat worse immune defence after vaccination and immunity wanes faster than among young and healthy people,” the agency said. “That means that elderly people have a greater need of booster doses than younger ones. The Swedish Public Health Agency considers, based on the current knowledge, that it will be important even going into the future to have booster doses for the elderly and people in risk groups.” 

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People between the ages of 65 and 79 years old and young people with risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, poor kidney function or high blood pressure, are recommended to take one additional dose per year.

The new vaccination recommendation, which will start to apply from March 1st next year, is only for 2023, Johanna Rubin, the investigator in the agency’s vaccination programme unit, explained. 

She said too much was still unclear about how long protection from vaccination lasted to institute a permanent programme.

“This recommendation applies to 2023. There is not really an abundance of data on how long protection lasts after a booster dose, of course, but this is what we can say for now,” she told the TT newswire. 

It was likely, however, that elderly people would end up being given an annual dose to protect them from any new variants, as has long been the case with influenza.

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