“We are envied for our rate of vaccination,” says Amos García Rojas, head of the Spanish Vaccination Society, in an interview with RTVE. Spain, according to its Ministry of Health, ranks first among the G-20 countries in terms of the proportion of citizens fully vaccinated against coronavirus. As of September 7, 72.5% of the population, or 34 million people, received two shots of the vaccine. For comparison: in Germany, 61.6% (51.1 million) are fully immunized against coronavirus, in Russia, as of September 6, 26.7% (39 million).
And while opponents of vaccination regularly protest in Germany, it is still difficult to imagine in Spain. According to a poll by the Spanish sociological service CIS, conducted in May this year, only 6% of Spaniards opposed vaccinations in principle. According to experts, cultural and social reasons are critical to vaccination acceptance. Many young people are vaccinated because 55% of Spaniards between the ages of 25 and 29 are still living with their parents. They wanted to protect their relatives from the virus.
A sense of community instead of individualism
“In Spain, people consider themselves to be part of the community and are convinced that there are things that need to be done not only for themselves but also for those around them,” epidemiologist Manuel Franco of the University of Alcalá in Madrid said recently on the Spanish TV channel RTVE. This is also evidenced by the fact that Spain has been in first place in Europe in organ donation for decades, several times ahead of other countries.
For example, in Spain last year there were 38 donors per one million inhabitants, and in Germany – only 11. In addition, the Spaniards have high confidence in the local health care system and in government vaccination campaigns. In the country, 97% of children are vaccinated against polio, meningitis and hepatitis.
This trust is behind the success of coronavirus vaccinations in the country, said epidemiologist Daniel López Acuña, professor at the Andalusian School of Public Health and former WHO executive director for emergencies.
A hard start to vaccination
“The fact that in Spain all citizens have access to the public health system directly without insurance companies is also an important aspect,” continues López Acuña. The start of the vaccination campaign in Spain has been rather sluggish. From February to April, health workers were vaccinated, followed by police officers, social workers, residents and nursing home staff.
However, according to the Spanish Ministry of Health, only 7% of the population were fully vaccinated in mid-April. In Great Britain then this figure was 13%. In May, the campaign picked up steam and the proportion of the population fully vaccinated rose to 20%. In mid-June it reached 27%, in July – 44%, and in September – more than 70%.
And now, according to the portal Ourworldindata, Spain is in seventh place in the world after Portugal, Malta, Iceland, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Singapore.
Mourning for those who died from coronavirus
Epidemiologist Daniel Lopez Akuña suspects that greater willingness to get vaccinated is also linked to grief over deceased friends and family. “Everyone lost loved ones during the pandemic,” he told Spanish media. “I lost my father, who was 94 years old.”
Spain is among the countries with one of the highest death rates from COVID-19. According to a study by the C-Mor consortium at the University of Oviedo, published in July this year, the country recorded an increased death rate in 2020 compared to 2015-2019.
More than 70% of the population was fully vaccinated in Spain in September
The proportion of deaths from COVID-19 in this so-called excess mortality was 68% in Spain, 80% in the US and 96% in the UK. Although the death rate in Spain has fallen sharply due to vaccination, as well as the number of detected cases of infection, experts see a problem in immunizing the population that has not yet been vaccinated.
“Until now, we have been constantly expanding the group of people eligible for vaccination when the pace has slowed down,” explains Jaime Jesus Perez Martin, spokesman for the AEV Vaccination Society. This opportunity has now been exhausted, in most cities and municipalities it is already the turn of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years. “The pace of vaccination will slow down,” says Perez. “The remaining 30% are not against vaccinations, but they are in no hurry.”
See also:
.