A few days ago, vaccination against COVID-19 with AstraZeneca was stopped in Spain, which was being administered to active groups with an essential function for society, who carry out an activity in person, at least part of the day. These groups, which belong to group 6 of the COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy, include police officers, firefighters, teachers and administration and service personnel of educational centers. In this group, by the way, very important workers such as Fisheries Inspection agents are missing.
Some workers in the aforementioned group have been inoculated with the first dose of AstraZeneca; others, none. Those who have received the first dose wonder what will happen to them: Will they be given the second dose? Will they be given AstraZeneca again? Will they be given a different one? For their part, those who have not received any doses wonder again and again when they will be vaccinated, whether they will be vaccinated with AstraZeneca or another. This is a tremendous mess with lives at stake.
The spectacle that has been generated is regrettable, since we are talking about a virus that is taking many people away and group 6 includes personnel who are on the front line. The EMA never said that vaccination with AstraZeneca should be stopped. The scientific community insists that the benefits far outweigh the risks. The paralysis that has occurred in Spain is of a political nature. The Minister of Health herself has acknowledged this by stating that it was the result of a decision taken by the Interterritorial Council, that is, the Autonomous Communities with their presidents at the head.
We ask that action be taken with transparency in this situation and that decisions be adopted that take into account the scientific community, organizations such as the European Medicines Agency. We need this to be clarified immediately.
We demand that, if AstraZeneca is not inoculated to groups with essential functions, another vaccine be inoculated, but that it be done quickly and, of course, without being dependent on political interests of any kind. The virus does not understand politics.
Anything that is not following the recommendations of scientists is groping in the dark,
that is, wasting time.
Jesús Manuel Díaz Lorente. CSIF Delegate
