Date Published: 23/06/2021
ARCHIVED - Slowdown in Covid pandemic across Spain continues, albeit at a slower rate
ARCHIVED ARTICLE The accumulated incidence rate in Spain has now fallen to 92 cases per 100,000 of population
The overall incidence of Covid-19 in Spain has been slowly coming down over the last few weeks, due principally to the gradual decrease in the number of new cases diagnosed across the country in the autonomous regions.
This is most visibly reflected in the accumulated incidence rate, which measures the number of cases reported per 100,000 of population. The national rate has now dropped to 92.25 cases per 100,000, after reaching a fourth wave peak of 235.59 cases on April 26, but is struggling to get down below that point, with new cases continually highlighting that the virus is still circulating amongst the population in spite of the vaccination programme; this latest figure reported is the smallest daily decrease since April 26.
The cumulative incidence rate over the last seven days is 42.97 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and the fact that this is less than half of the 14-day rate means that the 14-day rate will continue a downward trend for the next few days, but there are concerns that the percentage of positive tests increased yesterday from 4.15 to 4.20%, showing that the virus is circulating more aggressively and to a greater extent.
This is hardly surprising given the easing of restrictions, and the fact that much of the socialising is amongst younger people, who are not yet vaccinated and are those who are known to be assisiting the spread of the virus, although the cases are less serious in the younger age groups; same story right through the pandemic.
With schools and universities breaking up now for the summer, there are naturally concerns amongst the authorities that young people will help the virus to spread throughout the sociable summer months, the effect of which will not be seen fully until the autumn when the weather cools and the public moves indoors once again.
On Tuesday the Ministry of Health reported 4,040 new positives, maintaining the level of new cases seen throughout the month of June when the daily infections are always moving between three and five thousand.
30 deaths were reported on Tuesday, bringing the total fatalities from the pandemic to 80,719.
The level of hospitalisations continues to slowly fall, the pecentage of standard beds occupied by Covid patients now down to 2.19 per cent (2,691 people), although the level in ICUs remains at 7.8 per cent, (728 people). There are still new patients going into hospital with more serious cases of covid; in the last 24 hours 298 people were hospitalised, but the number leaving hospital within the same period was 440, so the overall totals are still moving down in the right direction.
Containing the pandemic now depends on the continued vaccine roll-out and by Tuesday evening 14,745,736 individuals had been fully vaccinated, accounting for 31.1 per cent of the population; by Wednesday evening, the health authorities expect to pass the 15 million mark.
23.4 million people have been given a first dose, 49.4 per cent of the population.