Date Published: 06/04/2021
ARCHIVED - Covid infection rates rose over Easter in almost the whole of Spain
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
A national rise of 7 per cent in the incidence rate as the fourth wave competes with increased vaccination
Despite the recent acceleration in the coronavirus vaccine rollout in Spain it appears that a fourth wave of the pandemic is now becoming inevitable, with incidence rates in almost the whole of the country reported to have risen significantly over the long Easter weekend.
The latest update published by the Ministry of Health on Monday 5th April reports a further 10,360 new cases over the Easter weekend, taking the total over the last 15 months to over 3.31 million, while the 14-day accumulated incidence rate now stands at 163.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This represents an increase of 7.6 per cent since the previous update and a rise of 25 points in the last ten days, and the breakdown of the data shows that over half of the country’s 17 regions are now classified as presenting “high” or “very high” risks of contagion.
The two highest rates are reported by the north African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, while among the Autonomous Communities the most worrying figure is still that of Navarra at 352, follwed by Madrid (273), the Basque Country (272) and Catalunya (216). The most significant increases over the weekend of Easter are reported in Andalucía (16.8 per cent) and Catalunya (13.5 per cent).
At the other end of the scale, the lowest incidence rates are those in the Comunidad Valenciana (33.7), Murcia (62.1), the Balearics (65.6) and Galicia (66.7), where for the time being at least it appears that the effects of the recent relaxations in pandemic restrictions are not being felt to any great extent. Given that the Easter holidays are only now ending, though, there is still time for any negative consequences of increased socialization and travelling to become apparent over the next couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, the Ministry reports a further 85 Covid-related deaths over the weekend, taking the official government total up to 75,783, while the pressure on hospitals continues to rise after falling gradually during most of March. The proportion of hospital beds occupied by coronavirus patients now stands at 7.5 per cent, according to the Ministry data, while in intensive care units the figure has climbed to 19.65 per cent and in the regions of Madrid, La Rioja and Catalunya is over 35 per cent.
Image: Ayto-Elche in the Valencia region where the mass roll-out of vaccinations continues