NEWS: The Spanish Association for Preventive Medicine (SEMPSPH) has published a list of all target groups to be prioritised in the vaccination campaign. Among the highest risk category groups will be people with serious obesity, down syndrome, and people over 70 years of age.
According to the SEMPSPH, this concerns all Spaniards who have an increased risk of death. This would be elevated due to a medical indication if they were to receive covid-19. This is not a national binding protocol but simply advice from medical specialists.
High, medium, or low-risk conditions with Covid-19
These specialists have defined four priority groups. The first such group is all people over 70. Also, people with three or more physical conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, and high cholesterol. People with Down’s syndrome would also fall under this category as would all seriously overweight individuals (with a BMI of 40 or more). Other conditions will be classified as “high”, “medium” or “low” risk. The high-risk category group also includes people with cardiovascular, liver, or kidney disease, and people who have had an organ transplant.
The list not only looked at the risks but also at the expected consequences. This was based on the clinical view, for example, people who have undergone a bone marrow transplant. Last on the SEMPSPH’s priority list (in the “low risk” category) are persons infected with the HIV virus, a risk group for any form of infection. According to the Association, they are not a high priority. This is because in most cases the infection is under control and the immune system is functioning normally. However, people with the disease AIDS, have a reduced immune system resistance. This means they are classified in the highest risk category.
Strategy to be followed with a limited number of available vaccines
As there is only a limited number of vaccines available, the three risk categories (high, medium, low) are again sub-divided into levels. This scheme of the SEMPSPH offers a solution to allow an orderly strategy within priority groups.
