The regions of Girona, Ponent, and the Pyrenees led economic growth in Catalonia last year, according to the Regional Economic Yearbook published by BBVA this Monday. The study concludes that by 2024, most Catalan regions had already surpassed pre-pandemic activity levels, with the exception of Terres de l'Ebre.

From 8 to 77 new infections per week. It is the growth of cases that has been registered in Montblanc in only two weeks and that has caused the whole region to be in a "dangerous situation", according to the investigator of Biocomsc-UPC, Enric Álvarez, who points out that if all Catalonia detected this increase it would return "to the situation that was lived during the first wave". The Department of Health reports that the 144 cases detected since February 16 "would be the result of a grouping that has several outbreaks in different bubbles, some related to each other", and have also affected the educational community: the Institute Martí l'Humà of Montblanc is the one with the highest incidence (8 groups and 204 people in lockdown), followed by schools Martí Poch de L'Espluga de Francolí and Les Muralles de Montblanc, with a group and a score of people in lockdown in each center, according to data from the Education Department.

Catalonia begins ten decisive days for the evolution of the pandemic. The number of new infections continues to fall - in two weeks it has gone from more than 14,000 cases per week to 10,000 - but the R number is rising: from 0.88 to 1.03 in seven days, which means that every 100 new positives infect 103 people. Likewise, the percentage of positive tests has risen again: from 4.30% to 5.30%, when the WHO states that being above 5% means that not enough tests are being done. In fact, in 15 days the number of PCR and antigen tests carried out has been reduced by 30%: from 295,000 to 210,000, between 16 and 22 February.