“I’ve never had the flu like this in my life.”This may be the sentence that everyone hears the most Extremadura (and other players on the national team) in recent weeks. There are very few people who have not been infected by a respiratory virus (mainly influenza or COVID-19) either personally or in an immediate family member. This Christmas and the start of the new year, people are beginning to think back to January 2022, when the country seemed to be beginning to emerge from the impact of the coronavirus epidemic, but infections surged again due to the emergence of the Ómicron variant.
Mandatory masks return starting today, sales surge
The coronavirus incidence rate in Extremadura reaches nearly 4,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants..The current incidence rate is less than a quarter, as the highest number of cases recorded was 722.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants; Also consider that sentinel surveillance systems now simultaneously measure the prevalence of three major respiratory viruses—influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
However, although data shows that the number of infections in January this year was much lower than during the previous wave of the new crown epidemic,The feeling is that infection rates are much higher than before the pandemic, and they are also higher because they show more severe symptoms. But is this really true scientifically? Are viruses really more aggressive?
The expert’s answer is clear: “No.” “I don’t think they are more virulent, nor do my fellow clinicians think they are more virulent,” said José Antonio López, a virologist of Extremadura origin. What’s happening is that everything is spreading right now, except that COVID-19, including the Pirolla and Omicron variants, hasn’t stopped producing infections all year round, Influenza A is the “most virulent” type. But this is normal.
“We go from hot to cold very quickly and there are large crowds, which is the perfect storm for infection.”
Jose Antonio Lopez.virologist
What confirms these infections are no worse than normal is the number of hospitalizations, which are no higher than normal. to the pre-pandemic years. “None of our hospitals are more crowded this year than they were before the pandemic, and nothing compares to the winter of 2020, when 155 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 (and about 60 people were hospitalized this week with all respiratory viruses). Internal medicine’s worst month has been It’s January.” CáceresCarlos Martin. Although he does believe the infection lasted longer than usual. He speaks in the first person because he was one of the Extremadurans who fell ill with influenza in January of this year: “I’ve had the flu two or three times in my life, and each time it lasted about three or four days. I would say this one lasted longer than ever because it’s been seven or eight days.he commented.
Extremadura hospitals now under greater pressure, most affected by flu and older
However, Martin stressed that this does not mean the infection is serious, as all infections occurring at home, no matter how severe the symptoms, are considered “mild”. “Bilateral pneumonia is serious and can be fatal.”He said. These cases end up in hospitals and currently mainly affect older people or people with existing medical conditions. Additionally, there are now more people hospitalized for the flu than for COVID-19. In the health district of Cáceres, where the doctor practices, four people were hospitalized this week with coronavirus, while 30 people were affected by influenza A.
becoming steady
This situation is not unusual either: “We are not far from where we were before the pandemic; Maybe a little higher, but the number of clinics per capita is not higher,” said virologist José Antonoo López. It does recognize that the rebound is due to a series of attacks on the virus that have created a “perfect storm ” caused by: “Really, this year is the result of a combination of factors because we suddenly went from hot to cold and there was no autumn for almost all of Spain and we really wanted to celebrate but to have crowds like this has never happened before, unprecedented. This happened before the pandemicIn some cities, black alerts were declared due to the influx of crowds in squares and streets, mass celebrations in closed spaces with little ventilation… all this it’s a perfect storm Vaccination rates, especially flu vaccination rates, are lower compared to other pre-pandemic years,” he explained.
According to Lopez, at this time, The main ones spreading are influenza A and new coronavirus. Moreover, the first behaves differently than the winter of 2022: “Last year a strange event occurred, that is, from maximum protection (wearing a mask) to no protection, the influenza virus would enter the end of October, abnormally and prematurely It happened everywhere. There were two peaks of influenza A, which lasted until December, and there was another peak of influenza B at the end of January.
However, things appear to be stabilizing now. According to virologist José Antonio Lopez, RSV is past its peak, flu expected to peak this week just started. In fact, the incidence rate in Extremadura has been trending downward for 15 consecutive days. According to the latest data from the Surveillance System for Acute Respiratory Infections (Sivira), published weekly by the Carlos III Health Institute, the incidence rate for the week of January 7 (the latest data) was 674.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The decrease was small, down only four points The incidence rate 7 days ago was 678.8. However, this is a drop of 47.6 percentage points from 15 days ago when the region suffered its largest rebound of the season (with an incidence rate of 722.4).
«Masks are common sense. “If you go to the emergency room to get your ankle checked and you don’t have it on, you’re going to come out with the flu, too.”
Carlos Martin. Chief Internal Medicine, University General Hospital of Cáceres
but The data also suggest that while infections are starting to stabilize, pressure has now shifted to hospitals. This is also a common trend: Two weeks after the peak of infections, hospitals usually close down. In this context, Extremadura is one of the regions with the highest number of hospitalizations, with 53.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants; almost double the number two weeks ago.
Analysis of the data by these experts confirms: There is reason to believe that respiratory viruses have not surged as abnormally as they have permeated society this year. It was this feeling that prompted the central government to reinstate the mandatory wearing of masks in health centers last Wednesday. measure The numbers will rise when communities chain for two weeks and incidence rates decline Since the order enforces this protection, it means Extremadura will be able to do so next week if the data confirms this steady trend.
Mask yes or no?
mask Then it gets recommended, but experts don’t share it, They believe this should always be mandatory in health centers and hospitals. “This shameful fight between the central government and some communities is a disgrace because it gives the impression of doing anything in politics for the sake of campaigning. The sick, the infected, the infected and the dead are all there. This is sad and should be avoided so that everyone can row in the same direction,” Jose Antonio Lopez said. For him, this obligation came too late and he believed that “it should not be refused”. «If it is no longer mandatory, there will have to be a lot of education to uphold our responsibility to wear masks in hospitals. As a citizen and a virologist, I have worn a mask whenever I go to the hospital since the beginning of the pandemic, and I will continue to do so.he insisted. He further believes that masks should be used not only in health centers but also in well-ventilated enclosed spaces and in crowds.
Internal medicine expert Carlos Martin shares the same view: “Wearing a mask in health centers and hospitals is common sense. I don’t understand this argument among the boroughs; “It’s just that if you go to the emergency room with a sprained ankle and don’t wear a mask, you’ll come out with a sprained ankle and a disease influenza. ”
Afternoon vaccinations continue this week
A special vaccination campaign against influenza and coronavirus aimed at stopping infection will continue until next Friday. You can visit an authorized health center in the afternoon (5:00 pm to 8:00 pm) without an appointment. These spaces are: Zafra Health Center; Cerro del Viento, located in the Valdepasillas neighborhood of Badajoz; Urban III “Bishop Paul” in Montijo and Mérida. There are also offices in San José de Almendralejo; Don Benito’s; Villanueva do Sul; Navalmoral de la Mata and La Data in Placencia. In addition, there is the Ciudad de Coria Hospital (day hospital) and the Zona Centro Health Center in Cáceres, located in the old Virgen de la Montaña Hospital.
this extraordinary event It started last Thursday with great success, with long queues forming at most spaces dedicated to vaccinations. According to data provided by the Ministry of Health, 1,500 doses of vaccines (876 doses of influenza vaccine, 673 doses of COVID-19 vaccine) were administered on the first day alone. SES encourages target groups who have not yet done so to do so to prevent and stop the spread of these respiratory viruses.