Ibiza’s dual vaccination campaign against influenza and coronavirus has been taking place in health centers in the Balearic Islands since October 23 last year. After more than three months, more than 13,200 people over the age of 60 have been immunized, according to figures provided yesterday by the health district of Ibiza and Formentera.
In this sense, they point out that these people represent the main body of vaccinations in Ibiza, with a total of 18,013 people vaccinated on the island. According to these sources, this number is the same as that registered in the same month last year, which was 18,017 vaccinations.
They also highlighted that of the 18,013 Ibizanians, 618 are under the age of five, while the number between the ages of five and 59 has reached 4,182. “Last year, there were fewer risk groups. This changed the overall percentage of vaccination rates,” they explained, referring to comparisons with previous campaigns. It is worth remembering that, as far as children are concerned, this year for the first time minors aged 6 to 59 months will be included in the event, since this group is considered “great communicators”. Additionally, the Ministry of Health said data shows children are particularly vulnerable to severe flu symptoms and hospitalization.
This year, special attention has also been given to the most vulnerable groups, such as those over 60, people with chronic illnesses, pregnant women, emergency medical personnel, security forces, smokers and farm workers who work with animals.
On the other hand, the Health District of Ibiza and Formentera reports that since the start of the walk-in campaign on January 10, more than 600 residents, a total of 617, have been admitted to Ibiza and Formentera. People get the flu vaccine. Furthermore, they pointed out that Ibiza health centers stock around 1,600 vaccines suitable for all ages.
It should be noted that the health authorities have been carrying out this campaign for several months and, according to the Ministry of Health, have been providing information to the population since the beginning of the vaccination period. They also said that when it comes to minors, it is important to “encourage” parents to vaccinate their children.
In addition, they also recognized that due to “vaccine fatigue” caused by the epidemic, vaccination rates among adults are low, with the lowest vaccination rate among people aged 5 to 59 years old at only 6%, similar to other areas in the Balearic Islands . In this sense, Public Health Director Antònia Elena Esteban recognizes that the level of vaccination among people under 60 years old is low this year, despite the absence of high influenza incidence data.