Respiratory disease rebounds in Granada

Drugstore sales of these test kits were 7,400 in June. It fell to 3,500 in July and rose again, more strongly, in August, an indicator that could translate into an increase in the incidence rate. Those numbers, however, have nothing to do with last summer’s numbers, which were ten times higher. About 200,000 units were sold in the three months; more than 20,000 tests will be conducted this summer.

Official reports from the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs reflect the incidence of COVID-19 among people over the age of 60, but the younger cohort that is driving the increase in infections does not appear in the official statistics. IDEAL obtained Andalusia’s latest coronavirus surveillance report, released last week, which showed that one person died in the province last week and two people were taken to hospitals in the province, but none were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). ). In addition, the incidence rate for the over-60 age group in the past 14 days was 35 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

a new subvariant

Joan Carles March, an expert at the Andalusian School of Public Health, said there had been a rebound in COVID-19 cases this week, with the vast majority being mild cases with symptoms very similar to those caused by Ómicron. In fact, they usually don’t go to the hospital because the condition is not serious. At this point, keep in mind that a new subvariant of the virus has emerged, called Eris, “already in Andalusia”, according to March, although Granada has not yet been officially notified if and how many cases there are .

Symptoms of Eris include sore throat, congestion, sneezing, coughing or headache, which can easily be confused with the common cold. “As always, emerging viruses are more contagious. Our advantage is that in the summer, it is mostly outdoor meetings; the disadvantage is that there are more gatherings and more crowds,” he pointed out.

He insisted that most infected people feel like they have a “cold” and use the existence of self-diagnostic tests to confirm or rule out coronavirus. “Without rapid tests for influenza or respiratory syncytial virus (the main cause of bronchiolitis), they have no way of knowing whether those infections are behind it,” he added. As has been the case since the outbreak of the pandemic, it is the most vulnerable people who are most worrisome, who may develop more problems after infection.

Ignacio Molina, professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Immunology at the University of Granada (UGR), said the current epidemiological situation was influenced by this summer’s heat wave, which led to more air-conditioned indoor gatherings Or fan other than summer. “The air did not renew well, became dry and spread infection more easily than outdoors,” he recalls.

Although we are going through an atypical summer, Ignacio Molina is clear that the trends for the next few years will be similar: Respiratory infections will continue to be among us, with mobility and social Exposure increases, with “peaks and troughs”. It is therefore committed to vaccinations so that people have “robust immunity” and preventive measures, especially for the most vulnerable.

Phone Appointment

In the province’s health district, they noted that those who need in-person medical care are those who are already immunocompromised and who were sent to hospital centers by dropper this summer. The general population, who use fans or air conditioners more than usual, gets a cold and doesn’t know if they have the coronavirus, so they take self-diagnostic tests, according to Northeast Health District sources.

In the Granada metropolitan area, on the other hand, they said that when people under the age of 60 suffer from these respiratory infections, the most common thing they do is ask for a phone appointment with their family doctor. They discuss their symptoms and ask what should be done, but they don’t have to go in person.