Mass inoculation plan drawn up Health department will be able to offer jabs from different sites
Local health departments will be able to offer jabs from many different sites
THE REGIONAL government has redesigned its Covid-19 vaccination strategy in order to be able to administer 400,000 jabs a week from the beginning of April.
Valencia president Ximo Puig explained that in order to be in a position to carry out this mass inoculation campaign they have divided the region into three sectors – municipalities with fewer than 10,000 residents; towns with between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants; and those with populations over 50,000.
However, he admitted that the number of vaccinations they are able to give during this faster role out will depend on the doses they receive from the national government.
Sr Puig held a video conference meeting with mayors from large towns and cities to spell out the strategy that will be used in the coming weeks, with the objective of vaccinating as many people as possible before the start of the summer.
He explained that inoculations will take place in 161 different municipalities around the Valencia region.
In order to do this, different formulas will be employed from the beginning of next month.
In municipalities with fewer than 10,000 residents vaccinations will be carried out in annex areas set up next to health centres and municipal buildings.
Public buildings will also be used in towns with between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants.
Larger public centres will be set up in cities and big towns, as well as using health centres and public buildings.
The IFA exhibition hall next to Alicante-Elche airport and the old Ciudad de la Luz film studio in Alicante have already been identified for mass vaccinations, along with the field hospitals set up in the three provincial capitals.
Public transport links will be set up to ferry people to these bigger sites free of charge.
The department for health will divide the vaccination centres up into three separate zones – a reception and preparation area; a vaccination area; and a post-vaccination zone, where recipients will wait for ‘at least 15 minutes’.
Sr Puig added that people will be contacted by telephone or text message by health department staff to inform them of the time and location for their vaccination.
Healthcare 'dad's army'
Retired healthcare professionals who signed up after the regional health department put out a plea to harness their expertise will help out with the mass vaccination plan. Sr Puig added that his government invested €8 billion in healthcare last year – which is the highest figure spent in the region’s history.