Flu cases continue to surge a week before Christmas: "The pressure on emergency rooms is very high"

BarcelonaThe worst flu epidemic in the last 15 years continues to grow: in the last week, its incidence has doubled, reaching a very high level of transmission. The high circulation of the virus, especially among children, is putting pressure on emergency departments, particularly primary care centers (CAPs), which have diagnosed 32,920 new cases in the last seven days, according to the latest data from the Catalan Infection Surveillance Information System (SIVIC). Hospitals have admitted 530 people in the last week with some type of acute respiratory infection. All this with only a week to go before family gatherings for the Christmas holidays.

"Emergency room visits have increased throughout Catalonia. The more flu there is, the more pressure there is on healthcare services. Right now, it's very high," explains Mireia Puig, president of the Catalan Society of Emergency Medicine and director of the Emergency Department at Sant Pau Hospital. The expert clarified that the hospitalization rate is similar to last year's, as the current variant is more contagious, but not more aggressive. However, she warned that the more people who become infected, the greater the risk that someone will require hospitalization, increasing the number of people in hospitals due to the flu. The estimated incidence is 766 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 421 the previous week, representing a 2.5-fold increase. which is demonstrated by the upward curveRegarding the incidence of all acute respiratory infections, which includes influenza, rhinovirus, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), it is 1,152 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, equivalent to 93,519 cases. The distribution of viruses shows influenza as the most prevalent (two out of every three virus samples analyzed correspond to influenza), followed by rhinovirus (10.8%), human coronavirus, and RSV (4.7% each). All those hospitalized with COVID-19 and 76% of those hospitalized with influenza are over 60 years old, while 67% of those hospitalized with RSV are under 4 years old. Christmas Meal Protection

Infections have been rising for seven weeks, mainly due to the new K variant, which accounts for the majority (80% of cases). To contain its spread, the Catalan Health Department is requiring... wear a mask in health centersIn nursing homes and long-term care facilities, both for patients and staff, masks are recommended, as well as their use on public transport, especially if the person has symptoms. Puig maintains that the best protection against the flu is vaccination, but also recommends good ventilation and thorough handwashing when meeting with vulnerable individuals during the Christmas holidays, as well as wearing a mask if someone has symptoms.

Flu vaccination coverage is 66% for people over 80 and 53% for those between 70 and 79. For COVID-19, coverage is 55% among those over 80, and 39% of those between 70 and 79 have been vaccinated. In children between 6 months and five years old, flu protection is at 40%. Regarding RSV, cumulative coverage is 94% in those born between April and September; and 69.6% for those born between October and May, representing a total coverage of 88.3%.