Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

COVID-19

Spain says Omicron close contacts must quarantine as third case detected 

Spain’s Health Ministry on Wednesday announced that people in close contact with those infected with the Omicron, Beta and Gamma variants will have to quarantine for ten days even if they’re fully vaccinated, as the third case of the newest Covid strain has now been confirmed in the Balearics.  

Published: 2 December 2021 09:53 CET
quarantine spain omicron
Close contacts of people with suspected or confirmed cases of the new Omicron variant as well as the Beta and Gamma strains will have to quarantine for ten days. Photo: DESIREE MARTIN / AFP

Spain may not be planning tougher domestic restrictions following the emergence of the Omicron variant in the country, but it will try to slow down the spread of this new variant from overseas with quarantine measures. 

Last Friday, the Spanish health ministry announced that all arrivals from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe would have to show a negative Covid test before flying to Spain and quarantine for ten days (seven if another negative PCR is provided), even for those who are fully vaccinated. 

On Wednesday, Spanish health authorities decided to take their containment measures up a notch and announced that those in close contact with a suspected Omicron case will also have to quarantine for ten days even if they’ve been fully vaccinated.  

Back in June, Spain’s Health Ministry revised its Covid-19 prevention strategy to allow those who have been fully vaccinated to not have to quarantine for ten days if they come into contact with a positive case.

This December update of “Covid-19 early detection, vigilance and control” guideline for the regions still states that, but now with a few exceptions.

This includes close contacts of people with suspected or confirmed cases of the new Omicron variant as well as the Beta and Gamma strains. 

As stated in the document, “confirmation of the type of variant is not usually available at the time of diagnosis, so this measure should also be applied to those cases in which there is suspicion due to preliminary information through a specific PCR or because the case is part of an outbreak that includes cases produced by these variants”.

This suggests that most people who test positive for Covid-19 won’t necessarily know that it’s the Omicron, Beta or Gamma variants unless they’re informed, in which case they wouldn’t know that they had to quarantine. 

The Beta variant was also first detected in South Africa and the Gamma strain was discovered first in Tokyo in four people who had just arrived from Brazil.

The other exceptions are close contacts of immunosuppressed people and contacts of cases and when there is suspected Covid-19 transmission through bison (yes, the animals). 

Spain appears to be trying to nip this variant in the bud while scientists around the world ascertain the Omicron’s strain transmission levels and its potential to sidestep vaccines.

As things stand, there are only three confirmed cases of the Omicron variant since last Thursday, but Catalan health workers did detect the presence of this strain in wastewater more than two weeks ago.  

For now, this new quarantine measure is unlikely to mean many people in Spain have to quarantine, but if Omicron cases did start to rise in the country it could have more far-reaching consequences.

Balearic health authorities confirmed on Wednesday that the third confirmed case of the Omicron variant has been located on the island of Mallorca. 

As in the case of the previous Omicron cases confirmed in Madrid, it was a fully vaccinated person who had recently travelled to Spain from South Africa via Amsterdam, having initially tested negative in a PCR test . 

There are two other suspected Omicron cases in Catalonia yet to be confirmed.

READ ALSO: What are the new international rules for travel to and from Spain this Christmas?

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

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. 

SHOW COMMENTS