While the health authorities in general defend that the situation is under control, that the system is supporting without interruption the epidemic wave of respiratory viruses, doctors, unions or patient associations denounce the saturation of emergency services and warn that the situation will worsen in the January
Almost everyone knows someone affected by the flu and there is a certain psychosis in the atmosphere (in the week of December 18 to 25, sales of antigen tests in Spanish pharmacies tripled compared to last year, according to the consultancy Iqvia), but the authorities insist, figures in hand, that the situation is not exceptional. Indeed, the epidemiological point is lower than that of the same dates in 2022, although it is also true that the wave has been rising rapidly for seven weeks and a turning point is not clearly visible.
While declaring themselves prepared, the autonomous regions have begun to react by demanding caution from citizens, disseminating advice to prevent the spread of viruses or, like Madrid, strengthening the detection system… The Xunta de Galicia has decided to postpone non-priority health activities and, since yesterday and for at least 15 days, recommends the general use of the mask in all primary care centers and hospitals, where contingency plans have been activated. In Andalucia, as of Monday, children between the ages of six months and five years will not require an appointment to be vaccinated against the flu.
Although most of the autonomous regions recognize significant increases in care pressure (Tuesday the hospitals of Castilla-La Mancha set their daily record, with more than 4,000 emergencies), none of them has declared a situation of saturation or collapse. “There is no crystal ball” to know with certainty what will happen in the coming weeks, said Óscar Zurriaga, president of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology. Other professionals consulted say that there are many health centers on the limit and predict an extraordinarily complicated January, with the circulation of respiratory viruses encouraged by the interactions of the holidays, the cold and lower vaccination coverage rates than last year .
Mireia Puig, president of the Catalan Society of Emergency and Emergency Medicine, stated, in statements to Efe, that there is more activity in Catalan health centers than there was in the years before the pandemic. According to his calculations, the number of emergencies treated by hospitals increased by 20% in less than a week, from December 23 to 28. Despite the fact that staffing on these dates is the usual, or even higher due to the reinforcements, “it is falling short because there is a lot of incoming patients”. Puig, head of the Sant Pau hospital’s emergency service, believes that all the conditions are in place for the number of cases to continue climbing and, with this, the increase in pressure on the healthcare system.
In Catalonia, on Wednesday the Department of Health recommended “responsibility and prudence with the fragile population”, assured that it has “all the healthcare devices ready to respond to the increase in the circulation of respiratory viruses” and transmitted a “message of tranquility and calm to the public”. On Tuesday, January 2, Health will issue another statement on the epidemic situation in Catalonia.
