Catalonia announced that from tomorrow, masks will be mandatory in all health centers and retirement homes, as flu cases have doubled in the last week and the virus is at a very high level of transmission.
During the press conference following the Executive Council meeting, the government advisor and spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, indicated that this Tuesday “the resolution will be approved to inform citizens that the use of masks will be necessary to contain the flu in health centers and retirement homes.”
According to the latest data from the Information System for Infection Surveillance in Catalonia (SIVIC), which refers to the week of December 1 to 7, influenza is at a very high level of transmission, with an estimated incidence of 418 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and 24,969 new diagnoses in the last seven days, more than double that of the previous week.
In this context, “wearing a mask in these areas – hospitals, health centers and residences – where there are vulnerable people helps save lives”, underlined the advisor. Paneque said that the obligation to wear a mask will come into force tomorrow, when the new resolution of the Generalitat Health Department is published, although he asked citizens to cover their mouths starting this Tuesday.
He also asked citizens to get vaccinated, which the entire population can now do. Flu vaccination coverage is 66% for people over 80 and 52% for people between 70 and 79.
Variant K triggers cases
According to SIVIC, the estimated incidence of influenza has been increasing for six weeks, driven by the K variant, the majority (69%) and more contagious.
The epidemic has exceeded the very high level of transmission, with an estimated incidence of 418 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, a figure already higher than the peak of the three previous seasons.
In the current season, both in terms of test positivity in the pediatric population and estimated incidences in adults, the trend of increasing incidence was recorded earlier and more clearly than in the previous season.
Influenza is putting pressure on health services: in primary care, cases diagnosed last week totaled 24,969, more than double those of the previous week (11,235).
In hospitals, there are 428 people admitted due to the consequences of acute respiratory infections (flu, covid, RSV or rhinovirus), almost a hundred more than the previous week (337).
SARS-COV2 remains stable at low levels of transmission, with an estimated incidence of 18 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. RSV, which can cause bronchiolitis in young children, has continued to increase for 5 weeks and exceeds the reference level, with an incidence of 68 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
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