COVID cases are on the rise: Should we be concerned?

BarcelonaCovid transmission has accelerated slightly in recent days in Catalonia, with an estimated incidence of 78 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest this year. The previous week, this rate was 46.5, according to epidemiological surveillance data from the Generalitat (Catalan government). Behind this surge is the XFG strain, known as Stratus, a subvariant that the World Health Organization (WHO) included in its monitoring at the end of June due to the speed with which it has spread in Southeast Asia.

In Catalonia, primary care diagnosed 1,812 cases in the last week (June 30 to July 6), while the previous week it detected 1,373. This surge in COVID-19 follows the surge in influenza, a pattern that already occurred last year during the same period and which, according to the Information System for Infection Surveillance in Catalonia (SIVIC), this time is "likely related to the change in the predominance of the variant."

The deputy director general of Public Health Surveillance and Emergency Response at the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Jacobo Mendioroz, sends a message of reassurance. "We are at very low transmission levels and have not observed a notable increase in either hospitalizations or intensive care admissions. The situation is stable," he says in statements to ARA. Mendioroz points out that the behavior of COVID-19 now compared to a few years ago is very different, as the population is much more immunized against the pathogen, both due to successive waves and vaccination. "This doesn't prevent mutations or adaptations of the virus, as is already the case with influenza. But the fact that small molecular or circulation changes can increase cases shouldn't be a cause for concern," he insists.

A few days ago, the Ministry of Health recognized persistent COVID-19 as a chronic health problem for the first time, placing it on the same priority list as other lifelong conditions, such as chronic non-cancer pain, celiac disease, or polio. With this designation, diseases acquired as a result of the coronavirus will be required to have "specific care pathways and multidisciplinary follow-up protocols" that guarantee "an adapted, comprehensive, and evidence-based response."

In Spain, there is no official registry, but it is estimated that around 10% of people who have suffered from COVID-19 maintain persistent symptoms twelve weeks after infection, which last for at least two months and are not explained by any other pathology. The majority are women, and half are between 36 and 50 years old.

The heterogeneity and variable symptoms (they number in the dozens) have long made it difficult to identify the disease, but it has been found that 80% of those affected suffer from muscle weakness, fatigue without physical activity, and neurocognitive impairment, such as deficits in the disease's deficiency. Only between 6% and 7% of persistent COVID patients have overcome the disease.

Detection effort

According to the president of the Spanish Network for Research on Persistent Covid (Reicop, in Spanish), Pilar Rodríguez Ledo, the change will finally bring "visibility and attention" to this disease. "Being part of the chronicity strategy plan means treating persistent Covid and its patients in a regulated manner, like any long-term process," she explained in statements to Efe. In fact, she says, just as is done with people with diabetes or hypertension, efforts will now be made toward early detection, diagnosis, and categorization, without forgetting the implementation of a registry of those affected, a treatment plan, and controlled follow-up.

Associations of patients with persistent Covid have already called for the urgent implementation of the measures included in the chronicity plan so that the 2.4 million affected people can benefit from this new care approach as soon as possible. In a joint statement, the Covid Persistent Collective of the Valencian Community, Long Covid Aragón, Copaiba of the Balearic Islands, Long Covid Canarias, Covid-19 Persistent Catalunya, and Amacop of Madrid welcomed the Interterritorial Council's decision as "a first step toward resolving the violation of the principle of equity."

The plan will make it possible to establish persistent Covid registration codes to "understand the scale of the problem, the number of people actually affected, and provide administrators with the resources to address this public health issue." However, those affected especially hope it will help avoid the judicialization of disability proceedings with the National Social Security Institute.