A failure in the Cold chain of the covid vaccine has forced the Canary Islands Health Service (SCS) to schedule the revaccination of dozens of patients attached to the La Casa del Mar health center, located on Avenida Anaga in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The Public Health Department has made this decision after the refrigerator in which a batch of 400 doses were kept suffered a high temperature peak that would have spoiled them, assuming a loss of effectiveness of vaccine protection. As the Ministry of Health points out, this circumstance does not pose a risk to those affected and the call for revaccination is motivated only by an improvement in protection in a context of high circulation of variants.
The event occurred last November, in the middle of the vaccination campaign for the fourth booster dose for those over 60 and vulnerable. The new refrigerators available to health centers monitor the data on the internal temperature of the appliance on a daily basis. The data is collected in all health centers and hospitals at the end of the afternoon to take corrective measures if necessary. The alarms went off at the moment in which it was seen that the refrigerator of the health center House of the Sea he had suffered a temperature spike during the morning.
The center’s toilets are contacting the affected patients to receive the injection again
Realizing that the situation could cause a long-term problem for these vulnerable patients – because they do not have adequate protection to face the new waves of contagion – those responsible for the Tenerife Primary Care Management then consulted the Public Health Directorate to know how to act. The response was that, although this circumstance did not put those affected at risk, it could generate a possible loss of effectiveness, so it was arranged to call the patients back to guarantee their protection.
The toilets of the health center For this reason, since the first weeks of January, they have been resuming contact with those patients who were vaccinated during those days so that they can go back to the outpatient clinic to receive a new injection if they so wish.
Few vaccinated in the Canary Islands
Less than half of the elderly Canarians Those over 80 years of age have received the fourth dose (49.72%), only 35.62% of the elderly between 70 and 79 years of age and only 23% of those in the 60 to 69 age range . The situation in the Canary Islands stands out in the rest of the state, since on average 73.2% of those over 80 years of age have been vaccinated in Spain – a figure that exceeds 80% in Asturias, Navarra, Castilla y León or Galicia-, up to 62% of the elderly between 70 and 79 years old and 41% of those who are in the 60s.
It is not the first time that the Archipelago has been in the queue for vaccination. It already happened during the third dose campaign, which although it was well received, was not good enough to reach the national average. This time the protection achieved is much less than then, despite the fact that the Canary Islands have been October 5th vaccinating the most vulnerable population and from December 16 to the entire group of islanders.
Experts recall the need to get vaccinated regularly
Booster doses against covid-19 are indicated for all people older than 12 years regardless of whether they have passed the infection or not and that people with previous pathologies of any age and those over 60 years of age are the most vulnerable groups and more prone to complications if they suffer from the disease. Hence, it is necessary to periodically administer booster doses adapted to the new variants of omicron and its subvariants.
Therefore, as the experts insist, it is important to start primary vaccination if it has not already been done and complete the vaccination regimen even if the disease has passed. The booster dose may be administered after at least five months have elapsed since the last dose received against the covid-19.
In the case of having presented a recent coronavirus infection, all people residing in nursing homes and nursing homes must wait at least three months after the infection to receive this booster dose, always within the five-month interval between doses. attention to disabilities, those over 80 years of age and people with high degree of immunosuppression. People between the ages of 60 and 79 must wait five months after infection.
Health centers on all the islands are vaccinating against covid-19. To access the vaccination, you can request an appointment through the app or the website of MyPreviousAppointment SCS or by calling 012 (922 470 012 or 928 301 012). In addition, vaccination points are kept active in health centers without the need for a prior appointment, both for the pediatric and adult population.
peak incidence
In recent weeks, the Canary Islands have experienced a peak incidence that has forced the islands of Gran Canaria and La Gomera to go to level 2 of epidemiological risk, due to the saturation of their hospitals. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, the percentage of occupied beds is 6.5% while in the ICU it is 4.5%. The incidences in the Canary Islands are the highest in all of Spain, both 7 and 14 days view. According to the Ministry, the incidence in people over 80 years of age is 305.28 cases per 100,000 inhabitants – double the national average, located at 112.51 cases-; that of 70 to 79 years is 200.88 cases per 100,000 inhabitants – the national average is 62.69 cases -; and that of the age group from 60 to 69 years is 122.30 cases per 100,000 inhabitants – the national average is 39.08 cases.
