The incidence in people over 60 and hospitalizations decrease for the first time since the beginning of June
Those hospitalized for coronavirus in Spain have decreased since last Friday to reach 11,713, the first drop in this indicator since June 10. Bed occupancy remains high, however, at the levels of February this year, in full hangover from the sixth wave of infections. The saturation of the ICUs, in addition, stands at 5.88%, with a total of 513 patients in intensive care units.
How is the epidemic evolving and how are we regarding the 3rd wave?
Evolution of reported cases and deaths, those hospitalized and those admitted to the ICU each day, the variation in the last 7 days and the comparison with the peak of the 3rd wave of the pandemic. On April 1, 2022, the contagion surveillance system changed.
Source: Ministry of Health
This rising occupancy level comes after a new spike in cases, which began in mid-May and appears to be beginning to subside. Since last Tuesday, the health authorities have detected 57,635 new infections. A week ago, the new infections amounted to 83,613 and the previous Friday the communities reported 84,146. In total, since the start of the pandemic, 13,090,476 people have been infected.
The 14-day incidence in people over 60 years of age stands at 1,158.54 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, a decrease of more than 96 points compared to this Tuesday, which translates into the first decrease in this indicator since 10 of June. The 14-day incidence experienced a rise since June 10, when it reached a low of 578 cases and stagnated last Tuesday at 1,255, just 30 points above the previous day.
The increase in infections is also noted in mortality. Since Tuesday, Health has reported 400 deaths from coronavirus, for the 471 recorded a week ago and the 205 the previous Friday. In total, since the start of the pandemic, 109,348 people have died with or from this disease.
Race among pharmaceutical companies to dominate vaccination
Pharmaceutical companies like Moderna and Pfizer are in the midst of a race to dominate the next round of COVID-19 vaccines: immunity against omicron before winter arrives. Moderna has countered Pfizer's dominant position. June 8 was early stating that their new formula provides "a superior immune response" to the variant that, precisely, triggered the cases at the end of 2021. The company's CEO, Stéphane Bancel, considered that it was "the second proof of the superiority of our bivalent vaccine", that is, that it works against the original version of SARS-CoV-2 and for omicron.
According to its own preliminary data, “the booster with the bivalent vaccine is our main candidate for the fall of 2022”. Why mention fall? The European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) considers that a new wave of COVID-19 is expected from that season. "Countries should plan to implement more booster doses for the vulnerable population at the beginning of the fall," he said. And "possibly combine them with the flu campaign," he clarified.
