ARCHIVED - Covid death rate trebles in Catalunya as the fifth wave hits hard
40 per cent of ICU beds occupied by Covid patients as hopes rest on the vaccination of young Catalans
As the fifth wave of Covid-19 contagion sweeps across Spain one of the hardest-hit regions is Catalunya in the north-east of the country, with the regional health service reporting a further 51 coronavirus-related fatalities in the last week alone.
This compares with a figure of just 17 in the previous seven days, and at the same time the number of Covid patients receiving hospital treatment in the region has shot up to 2,624, accounting for 10.75 per cent of all hospital beds. This is by far the highest proportion in the whole of Spain, and the same is true in intensive care units, where over the last week the number of Covid patients has risen from 296 to 499 and they now occupy 39.75 per cent of all beds.
The 14-day incidence rate of 1,216 cases per 100,000 inhabitants is also the highest in the 17 regions of Spain, but the good news is that there are indications that the fifth wave may have already peaked in the region. The 7-day rate is under half of the 14-day rate at 549, but if this is the start of a downward trend it is likely to be around 10 days before it is matched in hospital patient numbers.
In the face of these statistics the regional government has closed down nightlife venues for at least a month, and the night-time curfew has been re-introduced and will remain in place for at least another three weeks, according to regional health minister Josep Maria Argimon.
In the meantime, the Catalan health service will continue with the vaccination program. Almost 60 per cent of the target population have already received their full quota of jabs but in the 20-to-29 age group, where the incidence rate is highest, the equivalent percentage is just 9.1 per cent, the second lowest in the country.