The renewed growth of Covid-19 in Spain has been a topic of public discussion for days. However, this Friday, for the second day in a row, the rate of infection has sped up. The report released by the Spanish health ministry records an increase in the IA14 cumulative incidence - which measures the evolution of the pandemic over a period of 14 days in a territory per 100,000 inhabitants - of 4.43 points. While this scale of increase has already appeared in some of the latest headlines on the coronavirus situation in Spain, there is a difference: until yesterday, the 4-point coronavirus rise had occurred over 48 hours, but in the last two periods, yesterday Thursday and today Friday, the increase has sped up and has been achieved in only 24 hours.
SPAIN: Total confirmed cases by autonomous communities. Hover over bubbles.
By autonomous communities
These larger incremental steps have brought Spain's IA14 to 71.5 cases per 100,000 people, and thus moves the state more deeply into a medium risk situation, when the IA14 exceed the threshold of 50. The autonomous communities with the most pronounced increase compared to yesterday are Navarra (with 11.65 points more), the Basque Country (11.62 points) and Aragon (with a difference of 10.38). These three regions also have the most pessimistic incidence figures overall, with 158.35, 142.72 and 122.09 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. In these communities, then, the incidence is already 'high'.
Spain: Daily new confirmed cases in the last 30 days.
By contrast, Ceuta, Melilla and Galicia are the territories where Covid infections are most controlled, with 3.56, 35.6 and 36.9 cases. Only Ceuta still enjoys a status regarded as (the new) normal, while the other two are now classed within the low risk threshold.
Spain: Deaths from Covid-19 over the last 30 days.
By age groups
As for the different age groups, the youngest age bands continue to be the main axis of contagion in this latest wave. Children under the age of 11 - who have not yet been included in the vaccination campaign in Spain - have an incidence of close to 100 cases, specifically 98.88 per 100,000 people. They are followed by adults aged 40 to 49, who, on the other hand, have had the opportunity to get vaccinated, but who have registered an AI of 83.59 cases. The third-ranked age group are those aged between 30 and 39, with cumulative incidence of 76.99.
SPAIN: Total confirmed cases (blue), total deaths (black).
Contagions, deaths and hospitalitzations
Of the 5,047,156 coronavirus infections recorded in the Spanish state since the pandemic began last year, 4,353 have been registered in the last 24 hours. There have been 26 deaths recorded in Spain since yesterday, bringing the total to 87,673.
SPAIN: Death from Covid-19 by autonomous communities (last 7 days and cumulative total in the pandemic)
As for hospitalizations: for now, there are 1,946 hospitalized with the virus in the whole of Spain. Thus, Covid patients occupy 1.57% of the total number of hospital beds in the state. As for intensive care units, the occupancy by Covid patients has increased to 4.31%, with a total of 394 admitted to IC units due to serious coronavirus infections. Hospital pressure thus remains under control and with little worrying data, a fact that is normal in the early stages of any outbreak.
Vaccination
Finally, the part which, in Spain at least, is usually the good news of the coronavirus report: a total of 37,448,743 people in the Spanish state have had their two vaccine shots, 78.90% of the total population. A slightly greater percentage, 80.40% of the Spanish population, has received at least one dose.
Spain: Covid-19 mortality rates by Autonomous Communities. Hover over bubbles.
Main image: Healthcare staff with a Covid patient in an ICU at Barcelona's Hospital del Mar / Carlos Baglietto