Valencia (EFE) – The suspension of the mandatory wearing of masks in the health and social hygiene centers of the Valencian community came into force this Wednesday, following the publication of the Commission’s resolution in the Official Gazette of the Parliament and the incidence figures. The decline has reached 40% among influenza cases and 68% among COVID-19 cases.
According to the latest bulletin from the Surveillance System for Acute Respiratory Infections (SIVIRA) issued by the Ministry of Health, which collected data from the fourth week of this year (January 21 to 28), the incidence rate of influenza infection was 126.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. There were 213.2 confirmed cases in the country, a 40% decrease from the previous week.
The incidence of acute respiratory infections (ARI) caused by the new coronavirus also dropped significantly by 68%, reaching 50.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the fourth week, compared with 161.5 cases in the previous week.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is also reduced
As for acute respiratory infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), there was also a decrease in the last week of January, with an incidence rate of 78 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (compared to 96.3 cases in the third week of this year). down 19%.
One of the data that led to the ministry’s decision to withdraw the mandatory use of masks in health and social care centers was the incidence of three acute respiratory infections (ARI) – influenza, coronavirus and respiratory syncytial virus – in the fourth week There were 829.6 confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants, slightly above the national average (717.3), compared with 1,035 the previous week.
The incidence of severe acute respiratory infections also fell, to 15.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, an increase of almost ten percentage points from a week ago (26 cases).
According to the Ministry of Health report, data show that the incidence of acute respiratory tract infections has dropped by 44.7% since January 5 last year. Likewise, the incidence of severe acute respiratory infections has fallen by 58.2% since the same date.
A similar pattern was seen in the most vulnerable age groups, those under 4 years old and over 65 years old, with decreases of 28.3% and 44.8% respectively.
It goes on to recommend its use when risks arise
The resolution published by Health Minister Marciano Gomez on Wednesday at DOGV suspends the mandatory universal use of masks in health and social hygiene centers, but also recommends their continued use in situations where additional risks exist, such as those with symptoms in shared spaces people or professionals caring for symptomatic cases.
The text emphasizes that the Valencian community in the 4th week of the year is in a phase of “continuous decline in the high epidemiological impact caused by acute respiratory infections (ARI), albeit with a greater impact compared to influenza viruses” with which it shares the epidemic Other viruses in diseases. “
He explained that the highest level of cumulative incidence (AI) occurred in the 52nd week of last year, reaching 1,501 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, when the national average incidence rate was 952 cases, at the beginning of a phase of declining incidence. Epidemic curve.
These latest figures, coupled with the fact that diagnostic testing or AI positivity rates for severe cases have also reached “significantly high and rapidly growing values”, have prompted calls for measures such as the mandatory use of masks.
Improvements due to the evolution of the epidemic and the development of preventive measures
The current situation, which has improved in recent weeks, may be due to the evolution of the epidemic caused by respiratory viruses and the help of the preventive measures put in place, which is why the mandatory use of masks has been lifted. But it is recommended for use when symptomatic people are in shared spaces or when professionals are caring for symptomatic cases.
It also states that the management of health departments and health center councils, supported by their own protocols and recommendations from preventive medicine services, can develop indications for the use of masks, in addition to the established indications, depending on the epidemiological situation and the specific structural and functional characteristics of its affiliated centers.