In the News The Very Important 2020 Flu Vaccine Vaccinations against the flu have been brought forward this year amidst worries that hospitals might face an influx of flu victims as well as COVID19 sufferers. For the vaccinations this year there are some major changes and the Junta de Andalucía (the governing body for Almería province) has increased the number of available doses by 69%, up to 2.3 million which is the highest number ever. In Almería province, the 92,000 doses last year have been increased to 177,000. This is because it is intended that additional sectors of the population are able to receive the vaccine. From October 14th the main target population who could have the vaccine applied to the elderly over the age of 65 who are covered by the Spanish health service. The aim is that everybody in this age group goes to be vaccinated and they hope that 75%-80% of people will do this. There were appointments available up to October 30th solely for this age group, along with some key workers, but elderly people can still have a vaccination after the 30th. The other groups of the population who should go to be vaccinated from November 3rd are pregnant women, people suffering from a chronic illness (this year from age six months upwards), and members of essential services such as police, civil defence workers, firemen and teachers. In addition, people with high blood pressure and their families, nursing mothers and their families, people recently discharged from hospital and their families, and people aged six months to 64 who live with an elderly person should be vaccinated. For all the vaccinations, appointments can be made at a medical centre with slots of 4-5 minutes and in many of them vaccinations will continue throughout the afternoon. In the case of small medical centres such as in Mojácar Pueblo, the vaccinations may start after the end of the morning surgery. The Junta is reminding people that they can make appointments using the Salud Responde webpage or app, by telephoning 955 545 060, or by contacting their health centre. A final category are people aged 75-80, people bedridden or seriously ill, or people with some mental impairment that stops them going to a health centre and they can be vaccinated at home. Elderly
people who have not had a pneumonia vaccination previously will be given this as well, along with people who are at a particular risk of contracting pneumonia. In some municipalities where access to a health centre is difficult or not very practical, or to relieve pressure, there will be marquees set up in a communal area or streets and this has been done in Almería city, El Ejido and Roquetas de Mar.
A Different Christmas Salvador Illa, the Spanish Health Minister, recently gave an interview on a radio channel and he warned that even if a vaccine was ready early in the new year it would be several months before all the population could be vaccinated. Spain will receive an initial three million doses of the vaccine when the EU approve the purchase of 30 million doses once the Astra Zeneca company has completed all the tests. The EU has further options to purchase large number of the vaccine from other companies. Salvador Illa said that this Christmas would be very different from normal and there was likely to be a continuing ban on the numbers of people who could congregate together, with social distancing still in force. He stressed that the next six months is still a very critical period and the general public must not think that the virus will die out until there is mass vaccination. The sectors of the public who will be vaccinated first are identical to those that are being encouraged to receive the flu vaccine. A group of Spanish health professionals are working on the logistics of mass vaccinations. An ‘AVE’ Row The ‘AVE’ (high speed train) is supposed to arrive in Almería city in 2023, but everyone agrees this is impossible to achieve as it assumes every section from Murcia city has been completed and certified. The work from Lorca to Pulpí has not yet been adjudicated or a contract signed with a contractor, which may take 12 months, and the work to this section, once it is started, has a completion time of 36 months, if everything goes according to plan. Marifrán Caraso, the Ministry of Transport delegate in the Junta de Andalucía, recently asked for an urgent meeting in Madrid, complaining that the
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