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ARCHIVED - Dark day for Spain as fatalities soar: Covid update February 17
Covid incidence approaches 1,000, a figure not seen since September in Spain
For several weeks, the incidence and number of daily infections have been steadily declining, so it is disheartening to see Spain registering one of the highest daily death rates of the last 12 months at the tail end of the sixth wave. However, while tragic, the development is not unexpected; in each pandemic wave so far, fatalities are the last figure to rise, and are also the last to fall.
And while the sixth wave has resulted in more Covid-related deaths than the previous two, this stage is more comparable with the third wave, which occurred over the same time period and affected virtually every age demographic. Now, with the majority of the country vaccinated and the Omicron variant dominating, the majority of people dying are those with underlying health conditions and people who have not yet been jabbed.
Coronavirus infections
Daily Covid infections are returning to the level they were at before the explosion of the Omicron variant. The Ministry of Health has reported an additional 37,108 infections on Wednesday February 16, a considerable decrease on the 62,839 cases registered on the same day last week.
This brings the total number of coronavirus infections registered in Spain since the beginning of the health crisis to 10,744,394.
Cumulative incidence rate
The 14-day figure is approaching the 1,000-mark after dropping 80 points overnight to stand at 1,060 cases per 100,000 inhabitants – this is the lowest level seen since September 2021.
The highest two-week cumulative incidence rate of the entire pandemic was recorded on Friday January 21, when cases reached a staggering 3,418 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Galicia leads the incidence with 1,682 cases, followed by the Region of Murcia and the Valencian Community. Andalucía remains comfortably at the other end of the scale with just 473 cases, followed by the Canary Islands with 531.
The incidence among the different age groups has been yo-yoing for several weeks now, and today young people aged between 12 and 19 have once again registered the highest figure, at 1,564 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Hospitalisations
There are currently 10,898 patients admitted to hospital across Spain (compared to 11,438 yesterday), with 1,372 people being treated in the country’s ICU for more serious infections (down from 1,459).
All week, hospital pressure has been diminishing, and the number of beds occupied by Covid patients has dropped from 9.21% to 8.77% in the last 24 hours. Regarding intensive care, the occupancy rate now stands at 14.72%, down from 15.64% the previous day.
Fatalities
Spain has registered a total of 97,350 fatalities since the beginning of the pandemic after adding 444 on Wednesday – the single highest daily figure since March 2021, when 590 deaths were reported.
Throughout the communities, 679 deaths have been registered in the last seven days alone.
Although it has the lowest incidence, Andalucía has reported the most fatalities over the past week, with 118, followed by Valencia (97) and Aragon (58).
Vaccination data
As of February 16, a total of 38,391,658 people, representing 91% of the population, have received both doses of the coronavirus vaccine, while 92.8% have been administered the first dose.
Now read: How to get a Covid passport and How to book an appointment for a vaccination or booster jab in Spain
Image: Ministerio de Sanidad
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