According to the Spanish Ministry of Health, September began with more than 70% of Spain's population having completed the full COVID-19 vaccination schedule.

Specifically, as of 1 September 2021, 33,376,693 people had completed their COVID-19 vaccination, representing 70.3% of the total population.

A total of 36,533,328 people, representing 77% of the population, had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The vaccination campaign followed the European Vaccination Strategy.

Vaccination by Autonomous Community

If we analyse vaccination rates by autonomous community, we find that several regions had already surpassed the 70% threshold days earlier.

The ranking was led by Asturias, with 78.7%, close to reaching 80% of its population fully vaccinated, followed by:

Galicia (74.2%)
Extremadura (73.6%)
Castile and León (73.3%)
Aragón (71.9%)
Basque Country (70.8%)

Meanwhile, Andalusia, Navarre, and La Rioja reached the 70% milestone during the first two days of September.

However, several regions remained below the threshold, including:

Catalonia (66.5%)
Madrid (67.2%)
Balearic Islands (66.2%)
Cantabria (68.9%)
Region of Murcia (67.2%)
Valencian Community (67.9%)
Ceuta (62.1%)
Melilla (57.3%)

COVID-19 Vaccination Across the European Union

This percentage placed Spain as the fourth country in the European Union with the highest proportion of its total population fully vaccinated.

Other countries that had also surpassed this level included:

Malta (82%)
Portugal (73%)
Denmark (71%)
Belgium (71%)

Meanwhile, several EU countries were still behind Spain, including:

Italy (60.1%)
Germany (59.8%)
France (57.7%)

On the international stage, Spain also ranked ahead of countries such as:

United States (53%)
Canada (67%)
United Kingdom (62.6%)

"Comprehensive Vaccination Management" Activity Report

This week, the latest "Comprehensive Vaccination Management" activity report on COVID-19 was published, analysing the main results of Spain's vaccination campaign up to Tuesday, 31 August.

A total of 73,950,982 doses of the four vaccines authorised within the European Union had been delivered in Spain, of which 66,130,220 doses (89.4%) had already been administered.

Among people aged 40 and over, 92.2% had completed the full vaccination schedule, while 100% of those aged 80 and over had been fully vaccinated.

In addition:

67.7% of people aged 30–39 had completed vaccination.
60.0% of those aged 20–29 had completed vaccination.
32.2% of adolescents aged 12–19 had completed vaccination.

What Happens Now That 70% of the Population Is Fully Vaccinated?

It is now understood that reaching 70% of the population fully vaccinated is not enough to achieve the herd immunity that had been widely discussed.

Current estimates suggest that vaccination coverage of more than 90% may be required to reach herd immunity, provided that no new variants emerge that significantly reduce the effectiveness of existing vaccines.