ARCHIVED - Covid incidence rate in Spain almost doubles in a week to reach 368
Fewer Covid-related fatalities with 21.8 million fully vaccinated
The fifth wave of coronavirus infection in Spain continues to become more alarming by the day and the latest Ministry of Health update published on Monday evening reports another significant increase in the 14-day accumulated incidence rate.
The rate now stands at 368 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, having almost doubled in the last 7 days. In addition, the 7-day rate has soared to 226.4, indicating that the peak of this episode of contagion is yet to be reached, and with the number of cases having climbed to 3.97 million it seems more than likely that the 4-million mark will be reached this week.
One of the characteristics of the pandemic in this phase is that those who are most susceptible to infection are the ones yet to be vaccinated against Covid, and this is again borne out in the latest breakdown of rates by age group (data from the Balearics and Catalunya have not been updated):
Age 0-11: 120.5
Age 12-19: 725 (maximum 3,121 in Navarra)
Age 20-29: 792 (maximum 3,091in Castilla y León)
Age 30-39: 292
Age 40-49: 152
Age 50-59: 94
Age 60-69: 85
Age 70-79: 25
Age 80+: 43
Among Spain’s 17 regions the highest rates are reported in Catalunya (726), Castilla y León (661), Navarra (548) and Cantabria (492), and they are joined above the “extreme risk” threshold of 250 by Asturias, Aragón, Andalucía, Extremadura, the Balearics, the Basque Country, La Rioja and the Comunidad Valenciana.
At the other end of the scale a figure of below 100 is reported only in the north African enclave of Ceuta (49), and the lowest figure among mainland regions is to be found in Castilla-La Mancha at 130.
Hospital patients
However, the strain on public health services remains relatively insignificant in comparison with the third wave in the New Year, although it is beginning to increase. The proportion of hospital beds occupied by coronavirus patients has risen to 3.24 per cent, while in intensive care units the equivalent figure is 7.87 per cent.
At the same time, the number of Covid-related fatalities reported over the weekend was relatively low at 17 (pending the inclusion of the latest data from Catalunya and the Balearics) and the official total since early 2020 now stands at 81,020.
Vaccination data
The number of people in Spain who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus has reached 21,789,996, equivalent to 45.9 per cent of the population.
27,994,332 people have received at least one vaccine dose, equivalent to 59 per cent of the population.
However, in the 20-29 age group only 17.9 per cent have received their first jab and the proportion fully immunized has reached just 11.6 per cent.