Spain will keep register of those who refuse the coronavirus vaccine cnn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cnn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa will leave his job on Tuesday to run for the regional Catalan elections scheduled on Feb. 14, the Prime Minister's office said on Monday in a statement.
"Salvador Illa starts today his last 24 hours at the helm of the ministry," the statement said.
Concern is rising in Spain over the number of individuals who have jumped the line to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. The list includes several mayors, a regional health chief and family members of medical workers. In these cases, the vaccine was administered even though the person did not belong to the first priority group of the ongoing campaign: residents and staff of care homes, other healthcare workers and people with serious disabilities. In some instances, this was due to a misunderstanding, and in others, the individuals jumped the line âto build confidenceâ in the vaccine or because there were âleftover doses.â
The third wave of the coronavirus pandemic is pushing Spain toward a de facto lockdown, that â while stopping short of the strict home confinement rules introduced last spring during the first wave â greatly restricts social activities and freedom of movement. In response to the rising number of coronavirus cases, Spanish regions have introduced tough new measures, such as the perimetral lockdowns of municipalities and the closure of all food and drink establishments. But there is now debate about whether or not the current state of alarm should be modified to allow regions to apply even stricter restrictions.
Under the state of alarm that was approved last October, there is a nationwide curfew â with the exception of the Canary Islands â from 11pm to 6am, which regional authorities can bring forward or back by an hour. The regions can also seal off their borders, provinces, cities and healthcare areas, so that only essential travel is allowed. But many regional
Spain on Sunday began administering the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech to residents and staff of care homes who received the first jab on December 27, when the vaccination drive was launched. The second treatment was delivered in eight Spanish regions: the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Castilla y León, Catalonia, Valencia region, Galicia, Madrid and the Basque Country.
The first shipment of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine has also been incorporated into Spainâs vaccination campaign, which until now has made exclusive use of the Pfizer-BioNTech inoculation. On Friday, Spain received 35,700 doses of the vaccine, which requires two-doses for full immunization. Of the 1,139,400 doses delivered, Spain has administered 67.5%.