Spain to register those who don’t get vaccinated and share information with EU

Spain to register those who don’t get vaccinated and share information with EU

December 29, 2020   12:07 pm

Spain plans to collect and share with other European Union nations information about residents who decide not to get vaccinated for Covid-19, the country’s health minister said on Monday.

Spain’s health minister, Salvador Illa, stressed that vaccination would not be made compulsory, but, he said, a register would be set up that would include all the people who turned down the vaccine after being called up for vaccination by Spain’s public health service.

“Vaccination refusals will be kept in a register,” Mr. Illa said in an interview with La Sexta, a Spanish television channel. “This is not a public document and it will be done with the highest respect of data privacy.”

Mr. Illa said vaccination was voluntary, but “we all see that the best form to defeat the virus is to get all vaccinated, the more the better.” Vaccination, he added, should be considered “an act of solidarity toward our loved ones and our citizenship.”

Mr. Illa’s comments came a day after Spain launched its vaccination program, with the goal of vaccinating 2.5 million people between January and March, all of them within priority health groups, starting out with residents of nursing homes and the health care professionals who care for them. But the vaccination plan has also become a political football. On Monday, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the mayor of Madrid and spokesman of the main opposition Popular Party, blamed the government for “a shortage of information” about the vaccine, which has meant that many people are still reluctant to get it.

The vaccination plan should be “an exercise in transparency, not propaganda,” Mr. Martínez-Almeida said in an interview with Spanish national radio.

Source: NYT
-Agencies

Disclaimer: All the comments will be moderated by the AD editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or slanderous. Please avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment and avoid typing all capitalized comments. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by flagging them(mouse over a comment and click the flag icon on the right side). Do use these forums to voice your opinions and create healthy discourse.

Most Viewed Video Stories

TV DERANA LAUNCHES 'PRANA' NATIONAL INITIATIVE (English)

TV DERANA LAUNCHES 'PRANA' NATIONAL INITIATIVE (English)

One must be educated to create jobs, not just to take jobs - Dilith Jayaweera (English)

Floods reported in several areas across the country as heavy downpours continue (English)

People in the North are ready to work with the NPP - President Dissanayake (English)

LIVE🔴Ada Derana Prime Time News Bulletin 6.55 pm

LIVE🔴Ada Derana Lunch Time News Bulletin 12.00 pm

Ajith Mannapperuma withdraws from contesting election and resigns from SJB (English)

President holds virtual discussion with USAID Administrator on future cooperation (English)