Alex Trelinski
SPAIN has stopped distributing AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines as it has enough to give second injections to one point two million people.
The Ministry of Health said that all 17 regions of the country had supplies to finish off fully-immunising the 60 to 69 age group and essential workers with the Oxford-created vaccine.
Once that has been done, just over five million people in Spain will have been inoculated with the AstraZeneca formula.
Any leftover doses will be donated to the Covax programme which is supplying COVID-19 vaccines to third-world countries.
Spain was meant to take delivery of 31 million AstraZeneca doses as part of the company’s deal with the European Union.
Only 10 million have been received, with the EU accusing AstraZeneca of breaching supply agreements and threatening legal action.
The EU announced in the spring that it would not be renewing any contracts with the pharmaceutical firm.
It opted instead for major orders with companies like Pfizer and Moderna for ‘booster’ supplies.
Spain also decided to restrict the use of AstraZeneca to people aged under 60 because of concerns over blood clots, especially among women.
As of last May 30, five deaths and 21 thrombosis cases were identified as possibly linked to clotting side-effects.
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