Andalusia celebrates the first year since the start of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign with 15.2 million doses inoculated and 6,925,148 (81.8%) of people with a complete vaccination schedule. Since 27 December 2020, when the vaccination campaign began in homes for the elderly throughout Andalusia and in healthcare centres for frontline staff, the strategy of vaccinating the entire population, including children, has been completed over the last twelve months. Initially, the strategy was to vaccinate the most vulnerable population or those most exposed to the virus, followed by essential workers until vaccination was organised by age.
Thus, on 28 April, the possibility was opened for those interested in being vaccinated to request an appointment for the first dose of the vaccine directly on ClicSalud+, on the Salud Responde telephone number or at their health centre. Since 28 April, 14,610,071 covid vaccination appointments have been registered, of which 3,323,003 have been made through telematic channels, representing 22.74% of the total. In the last month, the percentage of telematic procedures has risen to 37.4%.
Precisely, today the self-appointment schedule for the third dose with messenger RNA opens for people aged 58 and 59 years, that is, those born in 1963 and 1962. In the population over 60 years of age, 78.1% have already received the booster dose, and this week will exceed 80%, meeting the minimum target. The age brackets will be progressively lowered to provide this booster dose to all those over 40 years of age, after having already been received by healthcare and social-healthcare workers, and those who received the AstraZeneca or Janssen booster dose are in the process of receiving it.
Another milestone in the strategy is the maintenance of walk-in vaccination points (www.juntadeandalucia.es/servicioandaluzdesalud/ciudadania/consejos-de-salud/nuevo-coronavirus-informacion-sobre-la-alerta/puntos-de-vacunacion-covid-19-sin-cita). It should be noted that these walk-in locations are intended solely and exclusively for first and second doses for those over 12 years of age, boosters for those who received Janssen, and those over 60 years of age. The rest of the groups must request an appointment at Salud Responde (app and telephone), ClicSalud+ or at the health centres.
Likewise, the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine continue to be administered to children under 12 years of age. In this first phase, self-appointment schedules have been opened for 11, 10, 9 and 8 year olds both on the Salud Responde app and telephone and on ClicSalud+. Pfizer’s specific preparation for children, which in addition to containing a smaller amount of active ingredient, separates the two doses by an interval of eight weeks instead of three.