Spain begins to tighten restrictions while the variant of COVID-19 has already spread to six communities. More than 30 infected with the new British strain have been counted.
Before the Christmas holidays are over, the fear of a new wave has determined that many communities begin to tighten restrictions. Even without general data on the pandemic and the current situation, the statistics only confirm what is feared. The epidemiological situation does not give truce and the worst thing is that the cases infected by the holidays are not yet being counted.
The British strain, which transmits 70% more easily, has already been detected in six different communities. In Andalusia, Asturias, the Valencian Community, Madrid, Galicia and the Basque Country, more than 30 cases have been confirmed and there are dozens of others that are under study. This means that the penetration of this variant of the virus in Spain is not yet known for sure. Health will meet this afternoon with regional officials to determine how to deal with this increase in infections in the final stretch of the Christmas holidays.
What Health does suspect, given the misinformation by the British authorities, is that the British strain is responsible for the very strong rebound in Gibraltar. This Saturday the Government of Penón ordered a new home confinement after the more than 900 active cases in a population of 34.000 inhabitants. 15 days ago only 60 cases had been confirmed.
Daniel López, epidemiologist and former director of the WHO, has confirmed that "We are fully entering the third wave by relaxing the measures during the Christmas period". This expert has warned in an interview with Onda Vasca, that this third wave will be worse than the previous one. The new British strain is not more lethal but it is more contagious, so it will multiply the transmission capacity of the virus tenfold. The only possible solution is "Vaccinate intensively at the highest possible rate". As determined by this epidemiologist, "It should be done like a military operation, without ceasing, every day". In this way, in summer we can talk about group immunity.
The data of the coronavirus in Spain:
* Source: Ministry of Health
Total figures: 1.928.265 confirmed coronavirus cases with diagnostic test for active infection; 50.837 deaths with a positive test as of December 31.
- 264.371 in Andalusia (5.123 dead)
- 80.023 in Aragon (2.634 dead)
- 27.171 in Asturias (1.343 dead)
- 35.569 in Balearics (469 dead)
- 26.859 in Canary Islands (415 dead)
- 17.948 in Cantabria (393 dead)
- 100.673 in Castilla la Mancha (4.086 dead)
- 132.611 in Castilla y Leon (5.081 dead)
- 356.724 in Catalonia (8.723 dead)
- 3.072 in Ceuta (59 dead)
- 148.797 in the Valencian Community (2.941 dead)
- 37.208 in Estremadura (1.067 dead)
- 61.143 in Galicia (1.379 dead)
- 399.499 in Madrid (11.828 dead)
- 4.540 in Melilla (43 dead)
- 60.316 in Murcia (744 dead)
- 42.494 in Navarre (960 dead)
- 110.821 in the the Basque Country (2.963 dead)
- 18.426 in The Rioja (586 dead)
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