Spain is to create a vaccination registry that will include those who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 and the registry could potentially be shared with other countries in Europe.

Spain’s health minister Salvador Illa said in an interview on local television although the details will not be made public.

“What will be done is a registry, which will be shared with our European partners… of those people who have been offered it and have simply rejected it.”

He, however, clarified that “it is not a document which will be made public and it will be done with the utmost respect for data protection.”

“People who decide not to get vaccinated, which we think is a mistake, are within their rights.”

“We are going to try to solve doubts. Getting vaccinated saves lives, it is the way out of this pandemic,” he concluded.

Illa stated that the list of people not taking the vaccine will also not be shared with employers but observed that the way to defeat the virus was “to vaccinate all of us – the more the better.”

Spain is among the worst affected countries by the pandemic in Europe and among the top 10 countries in the world. Since the start of the pandemic, it has recorded about 1.85 million cases including 49,824 deaths.

Spain has already recorded a case of new coronavirus strain, which Britain reported earlier this month claiming it is about 70 per cent more transmissible.

To control the spread of the pandemic, Spain has already imposed strict restrictions on the movement of people within the country till 6 January. However, restrictions are relaxed for New Year celebrations to 10 people per household gathering allowed.