THE question ‘to jab or not to get jabbed’ seems to be on everyone’s lips, with the vaccine continuing to divide the population.

Some are vocally championing the vaccine and the success of the vaccine programme, while others are adamant in opting not to get the jab due to concerns about its effectiveness and the consequences of mandatory vaccines.
But what are the arguments on both sides, and where do you stand?
Here the Euro Weekly News is delving into both sides of the argument to see how Spanish locals feel about the vaccine.

Vaccination supporters

After a slow start, vaccination rates in Spain have shot up. According to Statista, as of January 20, 2022, over 88 million vaccine doses have been administered in Spain.
The stats
Andalucia has the highest rate of dosage, with around 16 million doses administered and the autonomous city of Melilla is the region with the lowest vaccination uptake.
While other European countries have had to resort to Covid passes and government orders, Spain has avoided this thanks to its high vaccination rates, and more than 71 per cent of Spain’s population is fully vaccinated, making it one of the highest vaccinated countries in Europe.
Spain’s health minister, Carolina Darias recently said: “Compared to the other four most populated countries in the EU, Spain holds the first place in all the indicators, also placing us in the first position of G20 countries both in first-doses injections and in full vaccination.”
‘National pride’
So, why has the vaccination programme in Spain been so successful? According to Dr Vicente Soriano, professor of infectious diseases director of the UNIR Medical Centre in Madrid, it’s a matter of national pride.
For Soriano, the vaccination programme for nursing homes and vulnerable people was the big turning point. More than 95 per cent of the elderly have been vaccinated which, according to Soriano, made a huge impact: “we didn’t have any more admissions from nursing home residents.”
Another reason behind Spain’s vaccination success is “solidarity values,” said Josep Lobera, a sociology professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid. And he might be on to something.
With such a high number of Spaniards in their late 20s still living at home with their parents, young people have shown great willingness to get the vaccine and protect older family members.
In June 2021, the Imperial College London shared results from a study that showed 79 per cent of Spanish people trust the vaccine. When we consider Spain’s history (Spain notoriously delayed Polio vaccination by close to a decade, resulting in a large number of deaths and grave disabilities), this makes a lot of sense.
The science
So let’s look at the science. The Covid-19 vaccine was created in record time. This monumentally quick turnaround raised a few concerns, however, scientists and doctors around the world assure us that the vaccine is perfectly safe.
The WHO commented: “Like all vaccines, Covid-19 vaccines go through a rigorous, multi-stage testing process, including large clinical trials that involve tens of thousands of people. These trials are specifically designed to identify any safety concerns.”
Several Covid-19 vaccinations were developed using mRNA technology. This technology has been studied in labs for over a decade and has been used to develop other vaccines such as the flu and rabies vaccine.
Again, the WHO issues that they are perfectly safe: “These mRNA vaccines have been rigorously assessed for safety, and clinical trials have shown that they provide a long-lasting immune response. mRNA vaccines are not live virus vaccines and do not interfere with human DNA.”
The law
There is currently no statutory obligation to get a Covid-19 vaccine in Spain, however, new rules for visitors will come into effect from February 1, 2022.
According to Spain’s official tourism website, as of 1 February 2022, “all travellers to Spain must have a vaccination certificate and the certificate must have been issued by the competent authorities of the country of origin at least 14 days after the date of administration of the last dose of the full course of vaccination, as long as the final dose of that course of vaccination was no more than 270 days ago. From that time, the certificate must show the administration of a booster vaccination.”
For those over the age of six, face coverings remain obligatory on public transport and other indoor and outdoor public areas. Social distancing of 1.5 metres also continues. Rules vary slightly from autonomous region to autonomous region.
Children between the ages of three and five are also encouraged to wear masks, although this remains a recommendation. Those who aren’t able to wear a mask due to health issues are also exempt.
As the situation continues to evolve, Spain has recently taken the decision to reduce the isolation period for positive cases from 10 days to seven days, provided the person isolating doesn’t have any symptoms on day seven. Spain is the first country in Europe to reduce the isolation period.
In response to this decision, President Pedro Sanchez stated: “We need to find a balance between public health, mental health and the economy.”
Spain has shown itself to be a leader in the vaccination rollout without the need for government mandates.

The anti-vax argument

On the other hand, according to research almost one out of every 10 Spaniards are refusing to get the third vaccine, with the recommendations changing constantly causing a drop in confidence around how effective the vaccine really is.
This is, however, still a small minority, with latest research by the Spanish Centre of Sociological Research (CIS) showing that around 84.5 per cent of those who have received at least one dose are willing to get the third jab. Still, 9 per cent are unwilling and 4 per cent are unsure.
Mistrust
There are many factors behind the uncertainty – fear, scepticism, doubts about its protection, or simply confusion due to contradictory messages from the health authorities.
Isabel Jimeno, from the Spanish Society of General and Family Doctors (SEMG) stated: “To all those having doubts, I tell them to trust science,” with the third dose proven to provide significant protection.
Included in those not wanting to get the vaccine are people who are concerned about the side-effects and becoming unwell after the jab.
Hopkins Medicine has addressed this worry, however, with its website stating: “The vaccines do not contain live coronavirus, and you cannot and will not get Covid-19 from getting vaccinated.
“After the shots, you might experience a sore arm, a mild fever or body aches, but this doesn’t mean you have Covid-19. These symptoms, if they happen at all, are temporary, usually lasting only a day or two. They signal a natural response as your body’s immune system learns to recognise and fight the coronavirus.”
Getting the vaccine will not make you seriously unwell, getting Covid-19, however, can.
Effectiveness
Some have questioned how the vaccine is effective if we still have the need for booster doses, and how many booster doses will be required to top-up the vaccine’s effectiveness.
Health officials have stated that Covid will eventually be treated like the flu, with those most vulnerable needing a jab each year. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) states that if we “want to move towards a scenario of endemicity, then such boosters should be synchronised with the arrival of the cold season.”
Vaccine hesitancy
Differing from those people who call themselves vaccine-hesitant, ‘anti-vaxxers’ usually use aggressive methods to push others not to get certain jabs that are designed to help prevent disease. It is interesting to note that new research has found that two-thirds of the propaganda posted online and on social media about the vaccine is created by just 12 so-called influencers.
Imran Ahmed, the chief executive of the CCDH, told Sky News that social media giants “bear none of the cost for the content” they host, and that the people spreading this content are skilled in marketing and social media, meaning that these views are more normalised and often shared amongst like-minded people – fuelling their beliefs.
Medical News Today writes that “anti-vaxxers are people who believe that vaccines are unsafe and infringe on their human rights. They typically deny the existence or validity of the science supporting their use in the general population.” The violation of human rights has been called into question in many European countries enforcing mandatory vaccination, with Germany, Denmark and Austria enforcing the mandate and the UK enforcing the vaccine for NHS workers.
The debate
The pandemic has not only had a huge effect on the public, but many businesses have been forced to close due to the enforcement of the Covid passport in the hospitality sector.
With regards to Spain, areas that rely heavily on tourism such as the Costa del Sol and Benidorm have been hit hard, even so, Andalucia decided to extend its use just a few days ago because of high infection rates. Many businesses are losing millions and have called into question whether the mandatory passport should be dropped in a bid to recover the economy.
There are still unknowns with regards to mutations and variants of the virus and the real long-term effects of receiving the vaccine, however, with the world taken over by this pandemic, has Covid now taught us a lesson on preparedness?

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