Appointments can now be booked in Catalonia for children to receive their first anti-Covid jab. This Monday at 2pm, the on-line booking process was opened for the whole age range, that is, children from 5 to 11 years old. Walk-in vaccines shots are not available for this age group, and thus an appointment must be made before arrival. The Catalan health department has confirmed that vaccination will mostly be carried out in the major vaccination centres, after the use of schools for the vaccination process was ruled out last week. These details were explained by the public health secretary, Carmen Cabezas, in a press conference this Monday to update the epidemiological situation in Catalonia. The vaccines for kids have already arrived this Monday and jabs will begin this Wednesday, December 15th.
What will the kids' vaccine be like?
As was announced when the Spanish authorities approved the vaccination of this age group, the quantity of vaccine administered to children in this age group, 10 micrograms, is one-third of the usual adult dose. The Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine will be used, requiring two doses, at least 8 weeks apart. Children that have already had the coronavirus will be given a single dose of the vaccine and classified as fully vaccinated - as is the case with adults.
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If children are not accompanied by parents to receive the vaccine, informed consent will be required, the same as was necessary for the 12-15 age group. Cabezas reiterated that any vaccination will always require a prior appointment to have been made, and she also noted one important specific detail: any child who celebrates their 12th birthday between the first and second dose will be given an adult dose for the second one.
An information sheet of FAQs in Catalan is available here.
Epidemiological situation
Cabezas also made an assessment of the epidemiological situation in Catalonia this Monday. "Incidence is rising in Catalonia," she said. She noted the high level of the positivity - that is, the percentage of tests which currently yield a positive result - which is close to 10%. According to the WHO, a level under 5% is an indicator that a country has the pandemic under control.
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As the above figures show, the seven-day Covid incidence (IA7) is highest in the age groups for which vaccination has not yet begun - mostly the 0-9-year-olds. Cabezas stated that increases are also being seen in the age groups who are most likely to be parents of young children, although she conceded that it is very difficult to know whether it is children who are infecting the parents or the other way around.
This increase in cases, however, is already being seen in primary health care centres, which have seen 30% more cases over the previous week's total for the last fortnight. The trend, however, "is concerning." She said that hospital admissions are also rising, especially in the over-50 age groups.
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Nevertheless, Cabezas emphasized that this sixth wave shows the effect of vaccination. "For the number of cases we have now, we have never had [such a low] level of hospitalization: 4% of total cases in hospital and 0.73% in intensive care."
Once again, the public health secretary called on the public for collaboration to deal with the situation.
Main image: A medical professional prepares an anti-Covid vaccine dose / Sergi Alcazar