Date Published: 14/02/2022
ARCHIVED - Transmission rate of Omicron plummets in Spain
It now takes two infections to pass Covid to just one other person in Spain
At the height of the Covid pandemic when the majority had yet to be vaccinated, coronavirus was up there with the measles, the most contagious disease of all time. Back then, one person with the virus was capable of infecting more than 15 others, which explains the staggering transmission rate experienced a couple of years ago.
This sparked the emergence of the instant reproductive number, the now infamous ‘Rt’ of the pandemic, which has now plummeted to just 0.73 in Spain, meaning that it would actually take two infections to pass Covid on to another person. This is the best news possible and indicates that this country has exited the “slowdown” phase of the sixth wave and has entered into a new transition period.
Of course, Covid history has taught us that nothing is certain, and it is almost impossible to predict whether this transition will bring us to the end of the pandemic or merely to the beginning of a new wave.
Also of interest: Spain to allow unvaccinated Brits aged between 12 and 18 to enter
The situation is particularly promising in Catalonia, which has been plagued with skyrocketing hospitalisations in recent weeks. In this community, the Rt had dropped to 0.63 on Thursday February 10, its lowest figure of the entire pandemic, even compared to April 2020 when the country was on lockdown.
Nationally, the latest data from the National Epidemiology Centre (CNE) indicates that the rate has fallen to 0.73, meaning that it would take 100 people with the virus to infect 73.
Essentially, anything below Rt 1 is a good sign, as it indicates that fewer and fewer people are getting Covid.
Before the weekend, the cumulative incidence rate in Spain continued its decline to 1,566 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and the number of daily infections is also steadily decreasing.
Despite the encouraging data, many experts warn against celebrating the end of the pandemic too early, which could result in another explosion over Easter.
See also: How to get a Covid passport and how to book an appointment for a vaccine or booster dose in Spain
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