Five years into the pandemic: Aragon surpasses 3.6 million Covid vaccine doses

Five years after the State of Emergency decree that led to the lockdown due to the COVID -19 pandemic, the Government of Aragon continues its commitment to disease control. Proof of this is the 3,673,758 doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in the region since December 27, 2020.

Of the total doses administered in Aragon, 149,104 were administered in the latest 2024-2025 campaign as of February 24, out of the 237,942 received from the Ministry. This season, 36.12% of Aragonese over 80 years of age have received a dose, dropping to 30.82% for those aged 70 to 79. Among those aged 60 to 69, 16.44% have received a vaccine.

The incidence rate is currently considerably low, with 2.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last week. In 
Zaragoza, it is 2.6 and in Huesca, 2.2, with no cases reported in the province of Teruel. The incidence rate in Aragon has risen slightly compared to the previous week, which was 1.9, although it has remained stable in recent months. However, it should be noted that these incidence figures are an estimate, obtained from the suspected diagnosis of Covid-19 by primary care physicians, as diagnostic tests are not performed.

The Director General of Public Health of the Government of Aragon, Nuria Gayán, has explained that the surveillance system for acute respiratory infections was modified with the end of the pandemic, and this system includes the surveillance of several respiratory viruses, including the Covid-19 coronavirus : “It is a virus that at one time displaced all other respiratory viruses during the pandemic, but today it has not yet found its place among the rest of the respiratory viruses and does not behave in any pattern, nor is it seasonal. In February and so far in March, there have been hardly any cases .”

Furthermore, Gayán noted that “respiratory diseases are more dangerous in winter and cold weather, often with infections caused by several viruses coexisting simultaneously.” Despite this, no impact on hospitalizations due to COVID-19 has been observed. By gender, there are more cases of women in Primary Care and men in hospitals. Regarding age, a higher incidence has been recorded in children in Primary Care and in hospitals among older populations. The currently predominant variant is XEC, with KP3 variants on the decline, both great-grandchildren of Omicron.

Regarding deaths , since the start of the pandemic in Aragon there have been 6,075 deaths : 972 in Huesca, 694 in Teruel, and 4,409 in Zaragoza. By gender, there have been 3,219 men and 2,856 women. The age group with the most deaths is 85 to 89 years old, with 1,487. In 2024, there have been 103 deaths of patients who had Covid-19, with 77 in Zaragoza, 11 in Huesca, and 11 in Teruel.

CHALLENGES IN THE FUTURE

In Gayán’s words, “institutions learned that they need to strengthen public health systems, focus more on the social determinants of health, and improve coordination between health and social welfare officials, in addition to continuing close surveillance of emerging pathogens.”

The Director General also highlighted the importance of creating the Aragon Public Health Institute and the State Public Health Agency to address potential public health threats that may arise.