Flu cases continue to surge a week before Christmas
Two-thirds of respiratory illnesses are due to the flu virus, and Public Health confirms it is the worst epidemic in the last 15 years.
BarcelonaThe worst flu epidemic in the last 15 years continues to grow, doubling its incidence in the last week and reaching a very high level of transmission. The high circulation of the virus, especially among children, is putting pressure on the healthcare system's 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.
"It's the worst flu season in many years and the worst I've seen [as a health official]," warned Jacobo Mendioroz, Deputy Director General of Surveillance and Emergency Response for Public Health, in an interview with ACN. The estimated incidence is 766 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while the previous week it was 421, and therefore it had already multiplied by 2.5 compared to data from the previous week. 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 individuals 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. Masks and vaccines
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, the use of face masks is recommended, as well as their use on public transport, especially if the person has symptoms. Flu vaccination coverage is 66% for people over 80 years old and 53% for those between 70 and 79 years old. For COVID-19, coverage is 55% among those over 80 years old, and 39% of those between 70 and 79 have been vaccinated. In children between 6 months and five years old, flu protection is 40%. Regarding RSV, cumulative coverage is 94% in those born between April and September; and 69.6% in those born between October and May, representing a total coverage of 88.3%.
