96-year-old becomes first in Spain to be vaccinated for Covid-19
A 96-year-old living in a care home in central Spain became the first person in the country to be vaccinated against Covid-19 on Sunday, in an event broadcast by national television.
She felt "nothing" from the shot, Araceli Rosario Hidalgo Sanchez said with a smile after being injected.
With her short white hair, the pensioner living in the Los Olmos retirement home in Guadalajara got up slowly after pulling on her black jacket and walked off using a frame for support.
Carer Monica Tapias followed as the second Spaniard to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
"Araceli and Monica represent a new step full of hope today," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez tweeted.
Hoy Araceli y Mónica representan una nueva etapa esperanzadora. Un día para la emoción y la confianza.
España inicia la vacunación frente al #COVID19 gracias a la fortaleza de su SNS y miles de profesionales que garantizarán un proceso rápido, solvente y equitativo. #YoMeVacuno pic.twitter.com/yE2060YQcc
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) December 27, 2020
After her injection, Araceli Rosario Hidalgo Sanchez walked away. Photo: Pepe Zamora / POOL / AFP
The Los Olmos home was picked to kick off the country's inoculation campaign because it sits near a Pfizer storage depot, where vaccines were delivered from Belgium Saturday ahead of nationwide distribution.
No cases of Covid-19 have so far been detected among the staff or residents.
"It's a great source of pride and a great satisfaction for us, we're representing all the retirement homes in Spain," director Marina Vadillo said Thursday.
After the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last Monday, the way is open for injections across the 27-member bloc.
Spain aims to vaccinate up to 20 million people by June, with an initial target of 2.5 million by the end of February.
People at elevated risk or very exposed like care home residents and medical staff will be first in line.
Under EU deals, the country is lined up to receive 140 million doses, enough to vaccinate 80 million people -- almost twice the country's population.
Extra doses will go to "nearby countries that might need them", the health ministry said earlier this month.
One of the European countries hardest hit by the pandemic, Spain has recorded 1.8 million cases and almost 49,000 deaths.
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She felt "nothing" from the shot, Araceli Rosario Hidalgo Sanchez said with a smile after being injected.
With her short white hair, the pensioner living in the Los Olmos retirement home in Guadalajara got up slowly after pulling on her black jacket and walked off using a frame for support.
Carer Monica Tapias followed as the second Spaniard to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
"Araceli and Monica represent a new step full of hope today," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez tweeted.
Hoy Araceli y Mónica representan una nueva etapa esperanzadora. Un día para la emoción y la confianza.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) December 27, 2020
España inicia la vacunación frente al #COVID19 gracias a la fortaleza de su SNS y miles de profesionales que garantizarán un proceso rápido, solvente y equitativo. #YoMeVacuno pic.twitter.com/yE2060YQcc
After her injection, Araceli Rosario Hidalgo Sanchez walked away. Photo: Pepe Zamora / POOL / AFP
The Los Olmos home was picked to kick off the country's inoculation campaign because it sits near a Pfizer storage depot, where vaccines were delivered from Belgium Saturday ahead of nationwide distribution.
No cases of Covid-19 have so far been detected among the staff or residents.
"It's a great source of pride and a great satisfaction for us, we're representing all the retirement homes in Spain," director Marina Vadillo said Thursday.
After the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last Monday, the way is open for injections across the 27-member bloc.
Spain aims to vaccinate up to 20 million people by June, with an initial target of 2.5 million by the end of February.
People at elevated risk or very exposed like care home residents and medical staff will be first in line.
Under EU deals, the country is lined up to receive 140 million doses, enough to vaccinate 80 million people -- almost twice the country's population.
Extra doses will go to "nearby countries that might need them", the health ministry said earlier this month.
One of the European countries hardest hit by the pandemic, Spain has recorded 1.8 million cases and almost 49,000 deaths.
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