Date Published: 20/07/2021
ARCHIVED - Spain Covid update 20th July 2021: over 60,000 new cases confirmed as infection rates soar
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
The number of Covid patients in Spanish hospitals has risen by 65 per cent in a week
Over half of the population are fully vaccinated but contagion is rife among young adults
The spread of the fifth wave of coronavirus infection in Spain continued at an alarming rate over the weekend of 17th and 18th July, according to the latest update published on Monday afternoon by the Ministry of Health, with a further 61,628 confirmed cases taking the total since the pandemic reached Europe 18 months ago to over 4.16 million.
This most recent weekend tally is almost double that of 7 days previously and as a result the 14-day incidence rate continues to rise sharply, having increased by 63 per cent in the last seven days to reach 599.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. 16 of the country’s 17 regions are now well above the “extreme risk” threshold of 250, the only exception being Castilla-La Mancha, while the highest figures are reported in Catalunya (1,234), Castilla y León (897), Navarra (893) and Aragón (763).
At the same time, the bulk of the newly reported cases continue to be in teenagers and young adults who have not been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. The Monday breakdown of incidence rates by age groups is as follows:
Age 0-11: 360
Age 12-19: 1,488 (maximum 3,311 in Navarra)
Age 20-29: 1,794 (maximum 3,591 in Castilla y León)
Age 30-39: 799
Age 40-49: 383
Age 50-59: 237
Age 60-69: 232
Age 70-79: 104
Age 80+: 133
Hospital patients and fatalities
It is still the case that the surge in new Covid cases over the last month has had less effect on the burden faced by health services than previous waves, but the rise in contagion is beginning to bring about a marked increase in the strain on hospital staff and resources. At present there are 6,482 Covid patients receiving hospital treatment in Spain as opposed to 3,892 a week ago, an increase of 65 per cent, and in consequence 5.42 per cent of hospital beds are occupied by patients with positive test results.
Similarly, the number of intensive care Covid patients has risen by 45 per cent over the last week to 1,039, accounting for 11.42 per cent of available beds, while in Catalunya the proportion has reached a worrying 32.35 per cent.
On the other hand, the weekend Covid-related death toll was relatively low at 23, taking the official Ministry total related to the virus to 81,119.
Vaccination data
Following the administration of almost a million further doses since Friday the number of people in Spain who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus has reached 24,041,017, equivalent to 50.7 per cent of the population.
29,484,796 people have received at least one vaccine dose, equivalent to 62.1 per cent of the population.
However, in the age group with most cases being reported – those between 20 and 29 – the equivalent proportions are just 13 per cent fully vaccinated and 26.4 per cent with at least one dose.