ARCHIVED - Spain Covid update August 3: highest daily death toll since May

Incidence rates falling across Spain but the effects of the fifth wave cause rises in hospital patient numbers and fatalities

The latest daily coronavirus update published by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday evening reports another drop in the national 14-day incidence rate, with the confirmation of 20,327 new cases leading to a figure of 653.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, almost 50 points lower than what appears to have been the peak of the fifth wave a week or so ago.

On top of that, with the 7-day rate well under half the 14-day figure at 281 it seems reasonable to expect further decreases over the next few days. However, the PCR positivity rate of 15.3 per cent is still more than three times the target of 5 per cent set by the WHO as the threshold below which the pandemic can be viewed as being under control.

All of the country’s 17 regions remain significantly above the “extreme risk” threshold of 250 in terms of the 14-day rate, with the highest figures being reported in the Balearics (916), Navarra (789), Catalunya (769) and La Rioja (751), while at the other end of the scale are Asturias (463), Castilla-La Mancha (472) and Murcia (473).

The majority of the newly reported cases continue to be in teenagers and young adults who have not been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, but as vaccination reaches more and more people in their 20s and 30s the differences are becoming less marked. The Tuesday breakdown of incidence rates by age groups is as follows:

Age 0-11: 584 (up by 29 points in the last 5 days)

Age 12-19: 1,468 (down by 127 points in the same period)

Age 20-29: 1,559 (down by 231 points)

Age 30-39: 785 (down 87 points)

Age 40-49: 436 (down 20 points)

Age 50-59: 354 (up 10 points)

Age 60-69: 328 (down 2 points)

Age 70-79: 222 (up 225 points but still the only group below the extreme risk threshold)

Age 80+: 297 (up 25 points)

Hospital patients and fatalities

Despite the encouraging signs, the most eye-catching aspect of the latest bulletin is the addition of 130 more Covid-related fatalities in Spain, the highest daily figure since May 11. This takes the official Ministry total since the start of the pandemic to 81,773.

At the same time, as previously reported cases develop the figures regarding hospitalizations continue to rise. At present there are 10,317 Covid patients receiving hospital treatment in Spain as opposed to 9,522 a week ago (although the upward curve is beginning to flatten out with a rise of 8 per cent in seven days), and in consequence almost 8.7 per cent of hospital beds are occupied by patients with positive test results.

The number of intensive care Covid patients has risen by 21.7 per cent over the last week to 1,867, accounting for 20.4 per cent of available beds, while in Catalunya that proportion remains at an alarming 47 per cent.

Vaccination data

Following the administration of another 346,000 doses on Monday the number of people in Spain who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus has reached 27,437,503, equivalent to 57.8 per cent of the population.

32,352,818 people have received at least one vaccine dose, equivalent to 68.2 per cent of the population.

Significant 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 18.3 per cent fully vaccinated and 51.3 per cent with at least one dose: just a week ago the proportions stood at 15.1 per cent and 39 per cent, and all over the country the mass immunization campaign is now moving on to those in their teens.