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ARCHIVED - Spain Covid update 22nd July 2021: pressure on hospitals increases with another 29,000 cases confirmed
Signs that the rate of contagion could be peaking in various regions of Spain
Despite the Spanish government’s reluctance to re-introduce coronavirus pandemic restrictions this summer, various of the 17 regional governments are re-instating night-time curfews and other measures as the incidence rate continues to rise during the fifth wave of contagion, and the latest daily update published by the Ministry of Health on Thursday evening brought yet more discouraging news, with another 29,535 confirmed cases taking the total since early 2020 to close to 4.25 million.
The 14-day rate now stands at 659.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, an increase of 31.6 per cent over the last week alone, and as the overall figure rises so too does the proportion of PCR tests giving positive results, which in the latest bulletin reached 15.8 per cent. WHO guidelines state that the pandemic can be viewed as being under control only when that figure falls below 5 per cent.
All of the country’s 17 regions remain well above the “extreme risk” threshold of 250, with the highest figures being reported in Catalunya (1,216, slightly lower than the day before), Navarra (957), Castilla y León (904) and Aragón (843), while at the other end of the scale are Castilla-La Mancha (276) and Murcia (342.5). Nonetheless there are again signs that the rate is reaching a peak in certain regions, as the 7-day rate is under half the 14-day figure in Andalucía, Catalunya, the Balearics, Asturias, Castilla y León and the Comunidad Valenciana.
The majority of the newly reported cases continue to be in teenagers and young adults who have not been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and the Thursday breakdown of incidence rates by age groups is as follows:
Age 0-11: 438
Age 12-19: 1,586 (maximum 2,841 in Navarra)
Age 20-29: 1,863 (marginally lower than the day before, maximum 3,605 in Navarra)
Age 30-39: 875 (maximum 1,792 in Catalunya)
Age 40-49: 430
Age 50-59: 280
Age 60-69: 277
Age 70-79: 136
Age 80+: 184
Hospital patients and fatalities
It is still true to say that the surge in new Covid cases over the last month or so has so far had less effect on the burden faced by health services than previous waves, but the rise in contagion is now bringing about a marked increase in the strain on hospital staff and resources. At present there are 7,618 Covid patients receiving hospital treatment in Spain as opposed to 4,705 a week ago, an increase of 61.9 per cent, and in consequence 6.37 per cent of hospital beds are occupied by patients with positive test results.
Similarly, the number of intensive care Covid patients has risen by 48 per cent over the last week to 1,240, accounting for 13.52 per cent of available beds, while in Catalunya that proportion has reached a very worrying 39.2 per cent.
The latest daily Covid-related death toll was 28, taking the official Ministry total related to the virus to 81,194.
Vaccination data
Following the administration of another 586,000 doses on Tuesday the number of people in Spain who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus has reached 25,060,958, equivalent to 52.8 per cent of the population.
30,217,311 people have received at least one vaccine dose, equivalent to 63.7 per cent of the population.
Encouragingly, progress is now being made in the age group with most cases being reported – those between 20 and 29. In this group the equivalent proportions are up to 13.8 per cent fully vaccinated and 32 per cent with at least one dose.