Image courtesy:-SportBuzzer
After captain Sergio Busquets tested positive, Sports Minister Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes said on Tuesday that the Spain squad will receive a COVID-19 vaccine shot on Wednesday, less than a week before their first Euro 2020 encounter.
Spain’s tournament preparations have been thrown into disarray as a result of Busquets’ positive, with the remaining 23 players and coaching staff being placed in isolation.
On Tuesday, an Under-21 team headed by Luis de la Fuente will meet Lithuania in what was supposed to be the country’s final warm-up game before the Euros.
To supplement the roster, coach Luis Enrique called up a group of six players, including Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. They will practice separately from the main Euros squad in a “parallel bubble,” with the possibility of being added if necessary.
All of the other players and staff members have tested negative thus far.
“We are making an exception because they represent us in a top-level competition.” Rodriguez Uribes told Cadena Ser radio station that they had planned to give them the shots even before Spain’s captain tested positive.
Unlike other nations that have made vaccines available to all adults, Spain is working its way through the age groups and is presently focusing on persons aged 50 to 59, with some regions starting with 40 to 49-year-olds. About 23% of Spain’s population is already fully vaccinated.
According to Rodriguez Uribes, the vaccination that the soccer players would receive has yet to be determined, thus it is unclear when they will be immunized. Spain will play Sweden in their Group E opening.