The incidence of Covid shoots up 90%, although the Region continues at a low alert level
With the contagions in exponential growth, the Minister of Health, Juan José Pedreño, warned yesterday that “everything indicates” that the Region of Murcia, like the rest of Spain, is “immersed in a new wave” pandemic. The data leave no room for doubt: the incidence soared during the past week by 90%, reaching 135 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in fourteen days, and in 89 to seven days. In addition, active cases have doubled, from 870 last Monday to 1,706.
Despite this progression, for now there are no steps back in de-escalation, nor new measures beyond a reinforcement in inspections of leisure venues and hotels. Pedreño believes for the moment the containment of the epidemic curve to vaccination and the mask, a basic element of protection whose use is increasingly lax. The counselor recalled that the mask is still “mandatory in closed spaces and also in open places, especially in streets, squares, gardens and crowded areas where it is impossible to maintain a safe distance.”
Health keeps the Region of Murcia at alert level 1 (low risk), although the current incidence is in the medium risk range and on the verge of even rising to high-level figures, according to the Order that regulates the measures to apply in the Region since last June. However, hospital occupancy remains low, with less than 2% of beds occupied by Covid patients. This leads the Ministry not to raise the risk indicator for now, and also justifies it by the new scale that the Ministry and the autonomous communities will address this week in the Interterritorial Council.
This new document makes the risk levels more flexible after the high coverage achieved in the vaccination campaign. With 90% of the population over 12 years of age protected with the full regimen, it is not foreseeable that the translation of the increase in incidence to the pressure of care will be similar to that of previous waves.
But this does not mean that the current escalation in infections does not worry Health. Six municipalities are at high risk this week: Mazarrón and Torre Pacheco, which approach 450 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, Alhama de Murcia, Fuente Álamo, Jumilla and San Pedro Pedro del Pinatar. In these locations, only 50% of the capacity inside the hotel and nightlife can be occupied, without the possibility of extension with the Covid certificate, contrary to what happens in the rest of the Region.
At a 2-medium alert level, 19 municipalities are counted and, at 1-low risk, the remaining 20 localities.
Especially in children
Infections have been increasing in recent weeks, especially among those under 12 years of age, which represent the only group still unvaccinated, so that the cumulative incidence at fourteen days in this age group stands at 191 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. . Salud points out that the virus has been transmitted in social and recreational activities “outside educational centers”, such as birthdays, parties or sports and cultural activities.
Although the Covid has found its spread especially easy among this still unvaccinated population, the epidemic curve is already upward in all age groups, especially between 40 and 49 years (167.7 cases per 100,000), and 30 to 39 ( 142.5).
Relaxation in the use of the mask in social gatherings, with friends and family, is a key factor in the current trend, Health advises. According to the latest weekly epidemiological report, 86% of infections occur in the social sphere.
Pedreño urged extreme caution for the next December bridge and appealed to the “responsibility” that the population is showing “throughout the pandemic.” Some experts, such as the UMU Physics professor Antonio Guirao, or the Covid coordinator of the Reina Sofía, Enrique Bernal, were already in favor of applying measures as soon as possible last week to try to contain the new wave.
Slight increase in income
The increase in incidence is beginning to move to hospitals, although at the moment with figures much less worrying than in previous waves. 47 patients remain hospitalized for Covid in the Region of Murcia, six more than a week ago. Of these, ten are in ICU, aged between 27 and 79 years. 80% are unvaccinated. Health did not report any death from Covid yesterday. Regarding infections, 97 positives corresponding to Sunday were reported. In Spain, the incidence soared 20 points this weekend, reaching 132 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in fourteen days. The Ministry of Health notified yesterday 15,875 new cases of Covid and 22 deaths.
.