A colleague then fell ill, and his boss’s wife followed suit. All five of his coworkers fell ill, and eventually all were in bed. Miranda, a Chilean national, began feeling stomach cramps. He was soon lying on the couch, trying to draw every breath.
Miranda stated this week that the virus only strikes you when it’s too late. Miranda spoke from a hospital room overlooking Barcelona’s beachfront, where Miranda was conscious and connected to an oxygen-assist machine.
After a brief respite that restored medical activity to pre-pandemic levels, Hospital del Mar managers in this northeastern town are now facing an acute surge in infections. They have rearranged staff shifts and moved patients around their sprawling facilities.
This is due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus delta variant. It’s being driven mainly by unvaccinated younger patients, who are more likely to seek out emergency wards and health centers than ICU care. They spend more time in hospital if they need it.
In just two weeks, the facility has seen a dramatic increase in COVID-19 patient numbers. It went from 8 to 35 patients in two weeks. This is far less than the hundreds of patients that the hospital had to care for during previous surges. Juan Pablo Horcajada coordinates all COVID-19 activities at the hospital. This is a warning sign of what might happen if “drastic steps” are not taken to stop the spread of the virus.
Horcajada stated that although the majority of infected people don’t have symptoms, the surge was speedier than the March 2020 surge. The majority of hospitalized patients do not require any breathing support, and can be treated with corticosteroids. Doctors are now seeing patients in their 20s and 30s with serious pneumonia.
Spain’s young people are more likely to socialize while they are not vaccinated. This is because authorities prioritize the elderly and the most vulnerable. According to the Health Ministry’s latest data, 21 million people, or half the adult population, are fully vaccinated. However, less than 600,000. are under 30.
Horcajada stated that it was still too soon to believe that vaccinations will bring about a quick turnaround. He also said that many of his patients were infected long before receiving their second dose of vaccines.
Spain is a tourist powerhouse and has dropped curfews, outdoor mask requirements, and other restrictions just in time to enjoy the summer season. Even before many tourists were able to travel to the country, the first major outbreaks were immediately reported.
Many are tied to the first holiday trip, informal celebrations of traditional summer festival that are being called “the no-parties” and nightlife that reopened as soon as schools closed.
Horcajada said that the timings were a disaster. “We are dealing a variant capable of infecting within minutes following minimal contact with a positive individual.”
The Spanish contagion rate per 100,000 inhabitants rose to 316 cases on Friday. This is an increase from the low of 92 in June 22nd 2021. In a marked departure from previous spikes that occurred before vaccines were made, new deaths are decreasing and hospital occupancy rates are growing at a fraction the rate of new infections.
For example, Spain’s Health Ministry reported Friday 6 confirmed deaths nationwide. This is a decrease from the 352 on January 5th this year and 217 Oct. 19th last year, when the contagion rates were at similar levels. While COVID-19 patients were being treated on a greater percentage of hospital beds than in the regular wards, and one-fifth in intensive care wards, the current occupation rate is 2.4% for regular beds and 6.6% for ICUs.
Similar patterns can be seen in the countries that have experienced the most rapid-spreading epidemics in Europe. Despite steadily increasing the number of patients, hospitals in Portugal and Cyprus are not near collapse as they were in previous near-collapse situations.
In the UK, there were almost 30,000 new infections per day over the past week. This compares to the peak of around 70,000 in January’s winter surge. Daily deaths reached over 1,000 in just a few days. 29 deaths were reported on Friday.
Spain’s central government and regional governments want to speed up vaccination of young people, but they are cautious about imposing travel bans or nighttime curfews on tourists. France and Germany have already discouraged travel to Spain and Portugal, which has hindered the tourism industry’s efforts to recover.
Experts and medical professionals complain that authorities send mixed signals. For example, the northeastern Catalonia region — home to Barcelona — allows bars and nightclubs only to open their outdoor spaces beginning this weekend. Yet authorities allow a music festival with thousands to proceed. Before attending the concert, concert-goers must test negative for antigens.
Ana Aguilar (20 years old) is a Hospital del Mar nurse. She sympathizes with people who love to party, but says her generation must be more patient. She also felt frustrated by the constant cycle of virus outbreaks as a medical worker.
The virus returns when everything appears to be restarting. It’s the exact same thing again,” Aguilar stated. It’s exhausting and the uncertainty make it difficult to cope with.
