MADRID – Spain seems to be getting more and more control of the fifth corona wave. Although this is reflected in the figures, the situation remains worrisome in some places. The concept of ‘herd immunity‘ seems a utopia and virologists prefer to speak of ‘control the virus’.
One of the measures that show that the situation in Spain is moving in the right direction is the corona incidence, the number of corona cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the past 14 days. From Monday to Tuesday, this figure fell by 17 points and there are on average 399 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Spain. For the first time since July 13, this number has fallen below 400 again.
Almost all Spanish regions qualified as ‘extremely high’
With these numbers, it means that all Spanish regions, except Asturias, are characterised as extremely high to high-risk areas. Therefore, in almost all regions the number of cases in the past two weeks still exceeds 300. Despite this, the numbers continue to fall in many Spanish regions.
Only in this Asturias, the risk is considered ‘average’. In the Balearic Islands, however, the situation remains quite dire; here there are even more than 500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Most infections still among people under 30 in Spain
The number of positive test cases in Spain is falling in every age group. However, the target group where the highest infection rates are still reported is that of 12 to 19-year-olds. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health reported an average of 854 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
This target group is closely followed by people in their twenties with an average of 769 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. These high numbers are mainly explained by the fact that Spain has only recently started vaccinating teens and twenty-somethings and these people have a lot of social contact despite the restrictions imposed.
How many Spaniards are vaccinated?
Up to and including Tuesday, 67,461,422 shots have been taken in Spain. This means that 34,867,478 people have been vaccinated at least once (73.5%) and 29,968,303 Spaniards, 63.2% of the Spanish population, have already received a full dose. Spain is currently focusing on vaccinating young people. Meanwhile, 33% of people in their twenties have received two shots and more than 8 percent of Spanish teenagers between 12 and 19 years have been fully vaccinated.
What is the situation in Spanish hospitals?
The situation in the hospitals is slowly improving. Of all ICU beds in Spanish hospitals, 20.7% are occupied by Covid patients. In Catalonia, the situation is slowly improving but remains worrying with an occupancy of 41.4% of the IC beds. Madrid and the Balearic Islands also present an ‘extreme risk’ with occupancy rates of 33.9 and 27.1% respectively.
Since the start of the pandemic, 82,739 people have officially died in Spain and 4,733,602 people have tested positive for Covid-19.
