Vaccinations – who is next?
Regional government identifies schools as a priority
Regional government identifies schools as a priority
THIS week the regional health department continued to vaccinate residents over the age of 80, people with high levels of dependency and frontline public sector workers against Covid-19.
A total of 68,000 jabs were due to be administered from Monday to Friday.
A health department spokesman noted that 440,682 inoculations have been given in the region so far – 53,356 in Castellón province, 155,165 in Alicante province and 232,161 in Valencia.
A total of 125,319 people have received both doses.
The spokesman noted the vaccination of people in their 80s and people with high levels of dependency, which started at the end of February, would take ‘several weeks’.
He did not reveal when the inoculations will start for the next age group – people aged 70 and over.
Other people to receive vaccinations this week were healthcare staff who could not be inoculated earlier this year and elderly people who attend day centres.
A total of 18,500 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were used this week to inoculate professional and nonprofessional carers.
Schools plan
The region’s schools – which have been the source of many of the infections that have occurred in recent months – will be targeted next week.
Regional president Ximo Puig announced that the campaign will start on Monday (March 15).
He said jabs will be administered to 74,000 teachers next week and 42,042 the following week, including other staff working in education centres who are in contact with pupils.
Sr Puig noted that the AstraZeneca vaccine will be given to employees aged between 18 and 55 years old.
Teachers aged between 55 and 65 will receive the Pfizer jab when doses are available.
He added that frontline services personnel are being prioritised in vaccinations against Covid-19.
He also announced a change of tack for schools, stating that the second jabs will be administered to staff between 10 and 12 weeks after the first injection.
Where?
These ‘mass vaccinations’ will be carried out from centres identified in 23 municipalities around the region, including Denia, Alcoy, Benidorm, Elda, San Juan, Alicante, Elche, Torrevieja and Orihuela in Alicante province.
Sr Puig said this will help to bring about ‘maximum safety’ in classrooms.
A total of around 1,000 healthcare professionals will make up teams to administer the jabs for the education community.
AN 80-year-old man has been arrested in Alcalalí after it was claimed that he started a series of forest fires whilst out walking.
Guardia Civil officers in Jalón had been investigating reports of a string of fires over the past year close to the banks of the River Gorgos, all within a protected area of countryside that forms part of Spain’s Red Natura 2000 network, one of around 1,500 in the country.
These Sites of Community Importance (SCI) are considered to be of exceptional environmental value and home to endangered species of wildlife.
Local residents had become worried when different parts of the area burst into flames on at least four occasions within a matter of months.
One of the fires had been perilously close to urbanisations and country homes, and three others were on farmland, causing damage to crops.
Police found that each of the fires was started in a
similar way and at similar times of day.
Residents’ cooperation turned out to be key in identifying the suspect, after several people gave the same description of a man seen in the area on each occasion.
He was identified as an elderly man who had been setting fire to trees and shrubs whilst out on his morning walks.
The accused, a Spaniard, has been taken into custody.