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GALICIA

Spain’s Galicia will be first region to enter ‘new normal’ on June 15th

Galicia in Spain's northwest will become the first of the country's 17 regions to exit the lockdown next week and enter the "new normality" when all restrictions on movement are lifted, officials said on Friday.

Published: 13 June 2020 09:57 CEST
Spain's Galicia will be first region to enter 'new normal' on June 15th
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in the usually overcrowded Obradoiro Square, Galicia. Photo: AFP

But the wearing of masks in public places will remain compulsory in this northwestern region as it will elsewhere in the country until a vaccine against the virus is found.

The region no longer has any patients suffering from COVID-19 in its intensive care units and has not suffered any deaths from the virus in the past week, according to Spain's health ministry.

By Monday, more than 70 percent of Spain's 47 million population will be in the final stage of the phased rollback that should finish by June 21st in a country badly hit by the epidemic that has killed more than 27,000 people.

By contrast, areas that took the brunt of the outbreak like the Madrid region, parts of Barcelona and Lerida in the Catalonia region, and four provinces of Castille-Leon will remain in phase two, the penultimate stage.

READ MORE: What changes about life in Spain under the 'new normal'

“Three out of every four citizens, or more than 70 percent of the population, will be in phase three” by Monday, said Health Minister Salvador Illa.

The Madrid region, which accounted for more than a third of all deaths, had not asked to move into phase three next week, with Illa saying all restrictions would be lifted there and elsewhere on June 21st when the nationwide state of emergency ends.

Spain is the world's second most popular travel destination after France, but it has said it will not reopen its borders to international tourists until the start of July.

“July 1st is the date that the prime minister has given when the country will open up safely to citizens of other countries,” he said.

Brussels had on Thursday said all of the European Union's internal borders should be opened by June 15th.

Most EU countries as well as those within the passport-free Schengen zone, are on the brink of reopening their frontiers after a months-long closure to slow the spread of the virus.

But Spain has insisted on holding out until July 1st (UPDATE: Now revised to June 21st).

“We are working with our European partners towards a common position with respect to borders, on what type of controls will be imposed and which visitors from which countries can come,” he said.

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HEALTH

Respiratory infections soar in Spain over Christmas as hospitals struggle

Cases of viral respiratory infections such as flu, Covid and bronchitis have shot up over the past few weeks in Spain, putting an enormous strain on hospitals across the country and causing a severe lack of beds.

Published: 4 January 2024 12:33 CET
Respiratory infections soar in Spain over Christmas as hospitals struggle

Winter colds and flu are common, but this year Spain has seen a spike in cases of three different viruses – flu, Covid and bronchitis at the same time.

This comes after the festive and New Year period with lots of family gatherings and meetings with friends without much thought for social distancing days of the pandemic.

Rise in cases

According to health services, there are 35 percent more cases of these infections than a year ago, a percentage that is expected to continue rising until the third week of January when the epidemic peak will be reached after more gatherings for Three Kings’ Day on January 5th and 6th.

In a period of seven days, the rates of flu have gone from 532 to 908 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The cases of Covid have also grown from 12.6 percent to 13.6 percent.

The Health Minister, Monica García has published a message on social media reminding the public of the importance of getting vaccinated and maintaining prevention measures, such as ventilating rooms, washing hands and wearing a mask.

The head of the Emergency Department at the Reina Sofía University Hospital in Murcia, explained that the profile of these patients ranges “from young people with flu pathologies who go to the emergency room because health centres have delayed their appointments and people over 80 years old with pneumonia due to the flu who end up being admitted”.

Lack of hospital beds

According to the first vice president of the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES), Pascual Piñera, 10 of patients with these infections end up admitted to hospital overnight and one of the biggest problems staff are facing is the severe lack of beds, “They have nowhere to put the sick”, he explained.

The situation is the same all over the country. Red Workers union of the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid has reported that there are 105 patients pending admission and beds in the hallways are in double rows, “which cannot be evacuated if the patient worsens or there is a fire”.

Delays in primary health care 

Acute respiratory infections not only put a strain on hospitals and emergency rooms, but also primary care centres, causing delays and long waiting times for appointments. 

The spokesperson for the Federation of Associations for the Defence of Public Health (FADSP), Marciano Sánchez Bayle, explains that it is generating a “major traffic jam” in the healthcare system “where appointments are made for very late dates”.

Sánchez Bayle cites the case of the Community of Madrid, where he knows that appointments requested in December were not given until the end of January “which further clogs an already saturated system”. 

The need for greater vaccination rates 

Besides the festive period, many health professionals believe that the situation could be improved if more people were getting vaccinated, specifically against the flu. 

Flu vaccination in Spain is far below the WHO recommendations, hovering around 50 percent of the population at risk, when the goal is 75 percent. And the percentage is even lower in the case of children under five.

According to the Ministry of Health, the objectives for vaccination against flu and Covid-19 for the 2023-2024 season are to achieve or exceed vaccination coverage of 75 percent in older people and health workers, as well as 60 percent for pregnant women and people with at-risk conditions.

Amós García Rojas from Spain’s Vaccinology Association believes that after a few years without flu during the Covid pandemic, society has relaxed.

The vaccination campaign has not yet ended, so there’s still time to get yours before the end of the season. The campaign began on October 15th and ends on January 31st. 

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