MADRID – On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health recorded the highest rate of hospital occupancy due to covid since last February. The number of covid cases is also increasing.
Hospital occupancy in Spain rises to 6.35% this Tuesday. On February 23, that percentage was 6.64%. In addition, according to data provided by the Autonomous Communities, 50,235 new cases of coronavirus have been registered. 23,706 cases concern people over 60 years of age.
The incidence of people over the age of 60 has also increased by 40 points. That means there are 653.25 cases per 100,000 inhabitants compared to the 612.39 cases reported by Health Minister Darias last Friday. 122 more deaths from covid-19 have been reported. 160 of these were registered in the past week.
Hospital
Currently, 7,793 patients have been admitted for covid-19 across Spain (compared to 6,763 a week ago) and 361 are in an ICU (342 were registered last Tuesday).
Covid-19 hospital occupancy rises to 6.3% from 5.5% last week. This concerns 1,005 more admissions than Friday.
The highest hospital occupancy rate due to covid is in the Madrid region with 11%, followed by Castilla-La Mancha (9.61%), Basque Country (7.59%), Catalonia (7%), and Castilla y León (6.89 %). In those regions, the percentage of hospital admissions is above the national average.
See also: Update covid measures and requirements to enter Spain
As covid cases are increasing, the increase in hospital occupancy can now also be seen in intensive care units with just over 4% and 361 admissions. In terms of regions, the highest percentages are again in Madrid (7.20%), Catalonia (7.26%), and the Basque Country (6.91%).
Corona measures in Spain
Almost all measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus have been lifted in Spain. The covid certificate is currently still maintained by Aragón (hospitals, retirement, and nursing homes), the Canary Islands (for national tourists only), the Valencian Community (elderly and nursing homes), and Melilla (hospitals and nursing homes).
The Covid certificate is the document that proves that a person has a complete vaccination schedule against the coronavirus or has overcome the infection in the last six months. There is also the possibility to prove with a diagnostic test (PCR or antigen) that someone has not been infected in the previous days. In the regions of Aragon and Valencia, the covid passport is mandatory when entering hospitals, retirement homes, and nursing homes.
Face masks
Face masks need only to be worn in pharmacies, hospitals, health centres, and retirement and nursing homes. A face mask is also officially required in all forms of public transport. The health authorities also recommend wearing a face mask if you show symptoms of covid infection.
