Darias urges to accelerate the rate of vaccination and highlights the culture of care and prevention

In statements to the media after visiting the vaccination point located in the Roberto Rodríguez Estrello Pavilion in Santa Cruz de La Palma, has added that this type of center is currently targeting child vaccination started this week for children from 5 to 11 years old.

"It is the age group that currently has the highest cumulative incidence and, therefore, it is essential to proceed with this campaign after authorization from the European Medicines Agency," he said to thank the commitment of parents, as well as their own children, "who are enthusiastically coming to get vaccinated."

Darias has also appealed to the whole of society to continue being vaccinated because it "works." "Vaccines - he continued - save lives and vaccines are making a difference."

The incidence is lower with booster doses

At this point, the minister especially emphasized that, in these weeks in which an increase in infections is being recorded, if the different age groups are observed, it can be seen that in the people who have received the booster doses the incidence is less.

"I make a call to continue going to be vaccinated and, above all, to the CCAA to accelerate the rate of vaccination. I am aware of the great work and effort that each and every one of the autonomies are doing," he pointed out to remember that on the day this Friday they carried out 500,000 inoculations.

Darias understood that it is an "important" rate that is approaching the time when the highest daily vaccination peaks were recorded.

In particular, he asked people from 60 to 69 years old, which is the priority group at present, to go to receive the booster dose, since those over 70 years of age already have this booster in 80% of the people.

Culture of care and prevention

Similarly, he highlighted the need to accompany vaccination with a culture of care and prevention, since there are measures that have been shown to be effective, such as social distance or the mask.

"We are seeing images that are anything but acceptable. It depends on us a lot. It is true that Ómicron occupies more and more space but we know that whatever the letter of the alphabet that the variant has, if we protect ourselves we can face it," he said to point out because where more outbreaks are being seen is the social and family sphere.

Finally, questioned about Catalonia's approach to reintroduce quarantines for contacts of people who have tested positive, the minister indicated that in this regard there is already an early detection strategy that establishes what to do with contacts. "And I refer to this strategy," he concluded.