Covid cases continue to rise and have raised acute respiratory infections above the epidemic threshold, with 478.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, as revealed by the latest report from the Acute Respiratory Infection Surveillance System prepared by the Carlos III Health Institute (SIVIRA).
The increase is noticeable in Primary Care consultations, where SARS-CoV-2 is behind 27.2% of cases (26.8% in the previous week) with respiratory symptoms, compared to 4.1% that are associated with flu and 0.2% linked to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
"There is an increase in Primary Care. Fortunately, in terms of hospital care and admissions, the situation is not alarming," says Isabel Jimeno, head of the Vaccine Group of the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG).
In that sense, SIVIRA data estimate a Covid hospitalization rate of 1.7 cases/100,000 h in the last week studied, that of September 21 to 27 (it was 1.1 cases/100,000 h in the previous week). Regarding admissions due to severe acute respiratory infections, the rate stands at 9.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, a figure very similar to that recorded in the previous report.
"The real pressure on the healthcare system and hospitals remains at low intensity levels for now," also confirms Gema Fernández Rivas, spokesperson for the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC). "This behavior is similar to that of previous years and marks the beginning of the epidemic season," he adds.
Both specialists agree that it is still too early to know whether the impact of respiratory infections will be intense throughout this fall-winter.
"The main challenge for health centers and hospitals will depend on the joint evolution of the viruses as the drop in temperatures progresses and the effectiveness of the vaccination campaigns is seen," says Fernández Rivas.
At the moment, the impact of infections is reflected above all in people over 70 years of age -mainly due to Covid- and also in children under four years of age -with the presence of other pathogens as well. "The return to school is always noticeable in this increase," says Jimeno.
According to SIVIRA data, the SARS-CoV-2 variant identified in the highest proportion in cases of acute respiratory infections in Primary Care since the beginning of the season has been the so-called XFG (responsible for 55.08% of the cases), a relative of the famous omicron that the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) keeps under monitoring.
But it is not only this variant that explains the increase in cases, says Fernández Rivas, who suggests the influence of a mix of factors. "The combination of three phenomena: the existence of new variants, the decrease in natural or acquired immunity through vaccination and a lower Covid vaccination rate can favor the increase in cases," he points out.
In any case, he clarifies, this "is not translating into a drastic change in the nature of the disease compared to recent seasons." In the general population, mild symptoms continue to predominate, remember.
Vaccines, key to prevention
A fundamental measure to try to avoid, as far as possible, respiratory infections is vaccination, the specialists consulted agree.
"Vaccination is essential and there is no problem in receiving two vaccines at the same time, such as flu and Covid, which in many cases are offered together," says Jimeno.
In that sense, remember that not only older people should get vaccinated. Vulnerable people with previous chronic diseases, health personnel or cohabitants of vulnerable people, among others, are also candidates to receive immunization.
In some Autonomous Communities, such as Murcia or Aragón, the vaccination campaign has already begun. In others, like Madrid, it starts next Monday.
"Vaccination campaigns have been progressively brought forward in recent years. Before the pandemic they began in mid-October, but currently the campaigns are already advanced and begin in the month of October," recalls Fernández Rivas.
"In some cases, vaccinations began in September and, in my opinion, it is a good measure to be better prepared," Jimeno also points out.
