Basque flu epidemic continues to rise, wearing masks remains mandatory

The incidence of respiratory viruses continues to increase in the Basque Country. The latest announcement from the Ministry of Health this afternoon showed that the number of confirmed cases last week was 717 per 100,000 inhabitants, an increase of 12.5% ​​from the previous week. This means that the wearing of masks will continue to be mandatory in hospitals and health centers in the Basque Country for at least 14 days, in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Health. This actually lasts until early February.

Behind the increase in incidence figures published by the Basque government is the spread of the virus itself and, as highlighted in the announcement, there were no holidays last week, like the previous ones. This also affects the efficiency of information collection.

The information released this afternoon also reflects that the medical pressure caused by respiratory viruses is starting to ease. The hospitalization rate due to these pathogens is 24.5 per 100,000 inhabitants, equivalent to 538 hospitalizations. This was a 17.5% decrease from the previous week.