MADRID – The pandemic is once again on the rise in Spain. On Wednesday alone, 60,000 new infections were registered by the Spanish Ministry of Health. That is the highest number of cases in one day so far in the pandemic.
The ministry’s data show that the incidence continues to rise: in one day, infections rose by almost 90 points, to over 784. In addition, 50 people have died as a result of the virus.
The Spanish head of government, Pedro Sánchez, also spoke about the new figures. He pointed out that the occupancy rate of the hospitals was 6.2% and emphasised that vaccinations have ensured that infections are less severe.
Omicron
We are facing a new wave of infection caused by the new omicron variant of the virus. A variant that has other characteristics, is more contagious, spreads more quickly, and causes infections more quickly. However, there is evidence that the infections are less severe, thanks to the high vaccination rate,’ Sánchez said. The rise of the variant, just before the holidays, means a sharp drop in income for the Spanish catering industry.
Number of admissions and discharges
In Spain, 7,732 patients were admitted for Covid-19 on Wednesday (7,634 on Tuesday) and 1,466 were in the ICU (1,472 on Tuesday). There were 1,118 patients admitted (1,010 on Tuesday) and 1,026 discharged (932 on Tuesday). The occupancy rate of beds occupied by corona patients was 6.23% and in the ICUs 15.77%.
Number of tests carried out
Between 12 and 18 December, the Autonomous Communities carried out 1,619,472 diagnostic tests, of which 1,005,228 were PCR and 614,244 antigen tests, totalling 3,443.76 tests per 100,000 inhabitants.
Almost three times the WHO standard
The percentage of positive reactions was 14.46%, compared to 14.29% the day before. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that this figure should be lower than 5% to consider the spread of the virus “under control”.
From 24 December, wearing a mouth mask will again be mandatory in Spain, both indoors and outdoors.
Read more about the omicron variant in Spain.
