Patients in Catalan hospitals due to covid-19 again exceed 2,500

EPG rises to nearly 800 points and 81 new deaths are reported

Ara

2 min

Decenes de persones fan esport aquest dissabte a la platja com a alternativa al tancament dels gimnasos ENRIC FONTCUBERTA / EFE

BarcelonaThe covid-19 pandemic continues to gain ground in Catalonia, as indicated by the data updated daily by the Department of Health. This Sunday, according to the aforementioned data, in Catalonia the hospital pressure continues to grow due to the third wave. Thus, the number of patients affected by covid-19 who need a critical bed in Catalan hospitals continues to increase: there are currently 548 people in ICUs (23 more than yesterday), which had not occurred since November 18. Looking at the data from a month ago, there are now 228 more people in Catalan ICUs than there were in mid-December.

Moreover, there is a significant increase in hospitalizations: there are 2,630 patients with coronavirus, 133 more than yesterday - when admissions fell slightly (35 people less). These numbers have not been seen since November 11, when 2,687 people were admitted in hospital wards because of the virus.

Regarding infections, this Saturday the Health Department has reported 2,410 new cases, confirmed with PCR or antigen tests, although only 872 are from the last 24 hours (a figure that will rise for sure in the coming days, once all the positive cases have been reported). In total, since March, 420,728 people have been infected in Catalonia. In addition, there are 81 new deaths from the virus, which brings the number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic up to 18,012.

The Effective Potential Growth has also increased. If yesterday it rose 35 points, today it rises 17 and is on the verge of reaching 800 points (794), although last Saturday it was at 576. The R number has also risen again for the fifth consecutive day: now it stands at 1.39, 1 hundredth higher than yesterday. This means that every 100 people infected by covid-19 infect 139.

First person vaccinated in Catalonia with the second dose

As for the vaccination campaign, due to the effect of the weekend today the lowest number of people vaccinated throughout the week has been reported: there are 140,373 people vaccinated in Catalonia, 2,593 more than yesterday.

Divina Farreny, manager of the Lleida Health Region, confirmed in an interview with RAC1 radio station that one person in Catalonia has already been vaccinated with the second dose of the covid-19 vaccine. In fact, according to Farreny, in the health region of Alt Pirineu and Aran the first part of the vaccination campaign has already been completed, and that is why they have already started to supply the second dose. "A few days ago we finished the planning of the first doses and today we have started vaccinating the second ones in this care home", she said.