Respiratory virus incidence similar to pre-Avila pandemic

The incidence of acute respiratory viruses in Avila this year is similar to pre-pandemic times. This is one of the main conclusions drawn after analyzing the data from this winter. Unlike previous years, the new coronavirus has been included in the already traditional influenza and RSV (sensitive respiratory viruses). All this is discussed in this Thursday’s new episode of “Enfoque Ávila”, the La 8 Ávila program hosted by Patricia Carrera, this time focusing on healthcare, Along with three guests, including Luis González Maroto, Head of Territorial Health Services; Isabel Martiño, Healthcare Manager and Ana Arconada, Medical Director of Primary Care.

The show begins with a discussion of the so-called “Three Plagues” and their incidence in the province, with the help of González Maroto, who explains, “We can actually talk about three different types of epidemics, namely influenza viruses, RSV and Covid, but if we talk about the evolution as a whole, it must be said that our incidence rates are not much higher than influenza alone in the pre-pandemic period. So the entire acute respiratory virus data The evolution is similar to what it was before the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, because there is a rather worrying situation, as traditionally happens in December and January, with influenza in primary and hospital care.

If so many viruses have never been seen coexisting before, the fact is that, as the head of the territorial health service commented, “We have learned to accept certain protective measures that we did not have before, such as the use of masks and frequent hand washing, which May help fight three different epidemics at the same time. Beyond that, from a health perspective, we have the most important tool to control any type of virus, which is vaccination.

Currently, Avila’s vaccination coverage is about 35% of the population, but coverage is slightly lower than last year when serving “vulnerable” groups (people who are immunosuppressed or chronically ill, those over 65, pregnant women and children) Lus González Maroto said the vaccination rate “could be due to the fatigue that people have from having too many vaccinations”, citing the Castile and León Army The bet the government is making this year is to get kids vaccinated. RSV states, “This is very important because in most cases the symptoms are very mild, but sometimes it can cause pneumonia, pneumonia or bronchiolitis, and now, with this vaccination campaign, this is One of the new features “This year’s vaccination calendar is gaining traction in hospitals and primary care, and it’s a success.

Regarding influenza A, health officials explained: “Although there are not very high figures, we reached the peak of incidence in the second week of the year and saw a significant decrease in the third week. We may have reached the peak , but we can see that, but regardless, if we keep similar numbers, we’re talking about a lower peak than the 2019 flu, the last pandemic before COVID-19.

In view of this situation, in the winter emergency plan, the health care management decided to open 15 beds on the so-called “zero floor” of the provincial hospital, so that the number of available beds between the two hospitals in the capital became 430. The manager Isabel Martiño noted this Thursday in “Enroque Ávila” that on the “zero floor” “we have been occupied for five days and now have seven rooms occupied, not only because of the flu, but also because of respiratory isolation.” “

In this way, the occupancy rate of the hospital complex reaches 82% and there is currently no need to activate this type of space in the ICU, as Martiño points out, “a day we have 14 beds occupied, but we “we have to devote additional resources , now we still have seven beds, and not all of them are for respiratory illnesses. “

Regarding the impact of this “triple outbreak” on primary care, its medical director Ana Alconada made it clear that “there has been no such collapse, which is more alarming than anything else.” He added: ” There are other viruses added to the flu virus, but there is no collapse, and studying the respiratory process is nothing new.” Indeed, although the rate of appointment delays for primary consultations is high, Arconada commented, “This does not mean So they’re not going to be cared for at the health center because the Primary team is not only made up of doctors, but we have a lot of staff that can help us in a lot of situations. Also, in urban areas, we know that delays are longer, so Consultations can be held in the afternoon to reduce delays.