Vaccination in Spain to begin on Sunday, December 27

MadridHealth Minister Salvador Illa has announced that the administration of coronavirus vaccines will begin on Sunday 27 December. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, explained that the European partners had agreed that it would begin between the 27th and 29th and the Spanish state has decided not to wait. "We want it to start as soon as possible. It is the beginning of the end," said the minister. He explained that the first doses would arrive the day before and would be distributed equally to the Autonomous Communities so that they could be administered the following day. The vaccine that will be applied first is the one made by pharmaceutical company Pfizer.

This coming Monday, the European Medicines Agency is expected to publish the authorisation for the vaccine, stating the specifics to be taken into account. By 8 January, the same institution is expected to give its opinion on the Moderna project. It will then be possible to know whether the two vaccines are compatible with each other, i.e. whether it is effective to administer a first dose of one and a second dose of the other.

In addition, Illa has appreciated and supported the measures that some autonomous communities have recently implemented to react to the "change in trend" of the coronavirus, with an increase in cases in the vast majority of autonomous communities. Among them, Illa has referred to those of Catalonia, which reduces meetings to groups of six people - except on Christmas day or New Year's Day, which remains at ten - and restricts the opening of bars and restaurants. Also to those of Valencia, which has decreed a perimeter confinement and will only allow residents access. "The situation is very worrying," warned the minister, who called for "prudence" from the public and encouraged other administrations to toughen the measures.