ARCHIVED - Delta variant of Covid on the rise across Spain; already dominant variant in Madrid
Delta variant cases on the rise throughout Spain as the fifth wave of contagion spreads rapidly
The surge in coronavirus infections in the last fortnight in Spain has become inextricably linked with the spread of the Delta variant throughout the country, and it is reported that the strain has already become the most prevalent one in the region of Madrid.
The health service in and around the capital reports that between 28th June and 4th July the proportion of new coronavirus cases found to feature the Delta variant rose to 44.3 per cent, displacing the British or Alpha variant (41.3 per cent) from the top of the list. These figures are compiled using only data supplied by the Microbiology departments of certain hospitals, but they can be extrapolated and are assumed to reflect the situation in the population of Madrid as a whole.
The data also show that 55.5 of those infected during the latest wave of contagion are male, and that the age groups worst affected are those between 15 and 24 (46.3 per cent) and between 25 and 44 (31 per cent).
In Andalucía, meanwhile, the regional minister for Health reports that the prevalence of the Delta variant is increasing and over 100 cases have been sequenced: most of them are related to specific outbreaks among groups of young adults and teenagers.
Yesterday the head of the Valencian regional government, Ximo Puíg, said that the Delta variant accounts for half of the cases in the region and is behind the recent surge in new cases which has seen the region move from having the lowest rate in the country for two months, to now being amongst the five regions reporting the highest case rate in Spain.