James Warren
CONTROVERSY over the COVID-19 vaccine has once again led to two high ranking officials resigning after news emerged of alleged ‘queue jumping’.
On Saturday, Spain’s Chief of Defense Staff General Miguel Ángel Villarroya requested his termination from the role after announcing that himself, alongside other military leaders, received the vaccine.
The written request was accepted by the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, and he now awaits approval from the Spanish Cabinet.
Former Air Force General Villaroya’s departure follows the sacking of a top level Guardia Civil Lieutenant Colonel for receiving the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Spain’s government is also loosing representatives left right and centre as earlier on today, Health Commissioner Jose Antonio Garcia Gomez also handed in his resignation.
Last week, the Health Minister of Murcia Manuel Villegas resigned for receiving the jab ahead of the nation’s vulnerable, causing an uproar among healthcare workers.
Spain’s vaccination plan began last December and focused on the elderly and health staff.
In the Armed Forces, military healthcare workers were first on the list to be vaccinated before senior staff and military leaders.
However Villaroya explained in his letter to the Ministry of Defense that he made the decision to have the vaccine to ‘maintain the chain of command’ and ‘protect the integrity, continuity and efficiency’ of the military system.
It is also alleged that military chiefs were vaccinated in age order, focusing on the older generals, and with Villaroya being 63, he was towards the front of the queue.
Critics are arguing that the personnel on the group should have received the vaccine first as they are most susceptible to contracting the virus.
