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Date Published: 24/03/2022

ARCHIVED - Region of Murcia: on the brink of a seventh wave of Covid?

The incidence among older age groups has rebounded significantly in the Murcia Region

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Region of Murcia: on the brink of a seventh wave of Covid?

Just as Spain is looking to a future free from the harshest elements of the pandemic by launching its new transition plan, the Region of Murcia is suffering from a worrying rebound, with the incidence rate amongst the older population increasing drastically in the past week.

The latest report on Covid weekly risk indicators released by the regional health authorities shows a significant jump in the incidence of infections in people over 65 years of age in Murcia, with experts warning that the Region is on the verge of a seventh wave.

Similar to Spain as a whole, the fall in the incidence has begun to plateau and has gone from weekly drops of 30% or more in Murcia in the month of February to a decline of just 6% in the last week. On the surface, this doesn’t appear overly dramatic, but the evolution across the different age groups paints a different picture entirely: in the last seven days, the figure in over 65s has increased by 6.17%; the previous week, the numbers went up by 6.17%.

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The health services consider Murcia’s current incidence rate “high,” but in the older population, this indicator has now risen up a step to the “very high level”.

Murcia’s Minister of Health, Juan José Pedreño, acknowledged this week that “with the degree of vaccination and immunisation that we have, it seems that the virus is not going away”, but insisted on sending “a message of calm” and has recalled that using a facemask is still a good idea indoors.

Enrique Bernal, a specialist in Infectious Diseases and Covid coordinator at the Reina Sofía Hospital in Murcia, believes that “we are at the beginning of a new wave”, and has insisted that, if the Region relaxes safety measures too quickly, a rebound is surely in sight, with the most vulnerable age groups first in the firing line.

The health minister confirmed that there are still 77,000 people in the Region who remain unvaccinated and he has urged them to get immunised as soon as possible to minimise the effects of this rebound. However, from next week, the mass vaccination centres throughout Murcia will be closed and residents will have to attend their local health centres in order to get the Covid jab.

Now read: How to get a Covid passport and How to book an appointment for a vaccination or booster jab in Murcia

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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