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ARCHIVED - Spain shifts to new coronavirus monitoring system: Covid update April 4
From this week on, the Ministry of Health in Spain will only report on serious cases and vulnerable populations
Following on from the announcement last week that Spain has exited the “acute phase” of the pandemic and moved into its “transition phase” back to normality, the Ministry of Health will from now on only report the incidence rate of the virus in people over the age of 60, and not for the general population.
The new surveillance system will focus on serious cases of Covid, the occupation of hospital and ICU beds and coronavirus infections in the most vulnerable populations.
Cumulative incidence rate
The most notable change is that Ministry’s twice-weekly reports will publish the cumulative incidence (AI) at 14 and 7 days only for those aged over 60. On Friday April 1, the 14-day incidence for this group was at 459 while the rate of infections at seven days stood at 202 cases per 100,000.
Interestingly, the last report with the data for the entire population, released on Tuesday March 29, shows a 14-day rate of 466 and a 7-day figure of 226 – practically the same.
Broken down into age groups, the AI for people between 60 and 60 years, and between 70 and 79 years, displayed a downward trend but worryingly, it is increasing in those over the age of 80, despite the fact that the majority have received a booster jab.
The positivity rate among people over 60 who underwent a diagnostic test between March 22 and 28 is 16.01%, four times more than the 4% threshold recommended by the EU before the arrival of the Omicron variant.
Since the start of the health crisis, 11,551,574 people have tested positive for Covid in Spain.
Mild cases
To get an idea of the evolution of milder Covid cases, the surveillance of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) will be used as a reference, which doesn’t only focus on coronavirus infections.
Last week, ARIs registered a total incidence of 614 per 100,000 inhabitants, and the figure was much higher among babies and children: 2,141 from 0 to 4 years old and 763 between 5 and 14 years old compared to 373 between 45 and 64 years old.
Hospitalisations
The new Covid strategy will focus on serious cases, which are those requiring hospitalisation.
According to Friday's report, there are 4,150 people admitted for Covid and 420 in the ICU, which represents a respective occupation of 3.34% (down from 3.52% on Tuesday) and 4.62% (down from 5.40%).
Fatalities
The Ministry of Health revealed that a total of 102,541 people have lost their lives in Spain to Covid since the pandemic began. In the last week, 171 people have died, and the fatality rate for people over the age of 60 is at 4.8%, far higher than the 0.9% lethality rate for the population as a whole.
Vaccination data
A total of 39,004,820 people, representing 92.5% of the population over the age of 12 are now double jabbed. In addition, 39,197,021 people, or 92.9%, have had at least one vaccine.
Now read: How to get a Covid passport and how to book an appointment for a vaccine or booster jab in Spain
Image: Archive
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