December 27, 2020 marked a turning point in the fight against covid. On that day, the first dose of the vaccine against the coronavirus was inoculated in a home for the elderly in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, which had suffered the most from the pandemic. Today, one year later, the Catalan ministry of Health wanted to celebrate this event at the Fira de Barcelona, in a context of worsening epidemiological data.
Carmen Cabezas, who pointed out that during this year over 13 million doses have been administered, remarked that these vaccines, although the Omicron variant is now causing an unprecedented increase in cases, have prevented the situation from becoming much worse. "They have prevented between 300,000 and 400,000 cases, 80,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths." In fact, no fatalities have been reported today, even though data is worse than it was a year ago, there are fewer patients in hospitals.
Less burden on hospitals
"Vaccination has ensured that even though we have many cases, the burden on hospitals is much lower," said Cabezas, who recalled the day she went to receive the first vaccines and thanked all health personnel for "their generosity and commitment" to the vaccination process. "Thank you for your patience and your smile every time you give a vaccine, for being part of the solution," said the Spanish Minister of Health.
Different professionals who worked during the vaccination campaign also participated in the recognition event. Lourdes Carrés, nurse and coordinator of the vaccination point at the Fira de Barcelona, evaluated all these months giving vaccines, assuring that she had never seen such a large and diverse team "in which we were all committed to the ultimate goal: vaccination".
As if they were the Three Kings of Orient
In this sense, she pointed out that behind each dose there are "two or three professionals who have made it possible" and was moved when remembering the day Cabezas gave her a study that showed the decrease in mortality in nursing homes thanks to vaccines.
For her part, the paediatric vaccination nurse from Reus, Sandra Paixà, recalled her first day giving a vaccine against covid, on January 5th in a nursing home: "I went with two colleagues, and they welcomed us as if we were the Three Kings of Orient". Paixà also regretted that although at the beginning "we were showered with thanks and congratulations", now, with the requirement of the covid certificate, the situation has become tense.
Thanks from Craywinckel
Leyre Martínez, administrative and planning technician of vaccination points in the Northern Metropolitan Region, emphasized in her speech that they have found "the maximum involvement from health personnel who offered themselves for the vaccination process" and that they continue working to "end the pandemic".
The director of CatSalut, Gemma Craywinckel, closed the event with words of thanks for the health personnel: "The challenge has been enormous, and we have succeeded because we have excellent personnel who have thrown themselves into the campaign".
In the main picture, people queuing up to get vaccinated at the Fira de Barcelona / Sergi Alcàzar