Calls for extreme prudence as latest figures show 36 new cases in Xàbia
Government calls on the public to be extra careful over the Christmas period as infections start to rise again.
This is the latest information on the status of the health situation in Xàbia, the Marina Alta, the Comunidad Valenciana and across Spain.
For more information, please refer to the links given at the bottom of the page as our report is based on the official figures given in these sources.
Xàbia
Xàbia has recorded 36 new infections confirmed by PCR test since the last update with the total number of infections rising to 409 since the crisis began. The 14-day cumulative rate (IA)1 has risen substantially, now standing at 499.93 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants, significantly higher than the national figure. Thankfully, the death toll remains at 3.
A new outbreak was identified and confirmed in Xàbia, a total of 8 people at a educational centre, but this hasn’t been identified at the time of writing.
The surge in cases in the town has forced the organizers to cancel the annual New Year’s Day Charity Swim, although they are working on a Plan B in order to continue raising funds.
Marina Alta
The Dénia Health Authority, which covers the Marina Alta region, has recorded 171 new infections since the last update, bringing the total to 2,808 positive cases since the crisis began. As a consequence, the 14-day IA rate has risen to 379.09 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants. The death toll in the Marina Alta has risen 1 to 39.
El Vergel has seen a sudden surge in positive cases over the past week with almost 90 news cases, which takes their IA rate to 2,715.52 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest figure in the whole of the Comunidad Valenciana. At the other end of the scale, Benigembla, Vall d’Ebo and Vall de Gallinera have yet to record a single case.
The 171 new infections have been recorded in the following municipalities:
- Dénia – 45
- Xàbia – 36
- Pego – 17
- Benissa – 13
- Ondara – 12
- Teulada – 11
- Calp – 10
- El Vergel – 10; 1 death
- Adsubia – 3
- Poble Nou de Benitatchell – 3
- Gata de Gorgos – 2
- Orba – 2
- Sagra – 2
- Beniarbeig – 1
- Benidoleig – 1
- Murla – 1
- Pedreguer – 1
- Xaló – 1
Comunidad Valenciana
The 14-day IA rate for the Comunidad Valenciana has risen to 346.88, one of the highest rates in the country behind the Balearic Islands and Madrid, whilst the positivity rate2 for the Comunidad Valenciana is 16.27%, almost double the national average.
The Comunidad Valenciana has now crossed four of the five ‘red lines’ to pass into ‘extreme risk’ status: Positivity Rate, 14-Day IA Rate, 7-Day IA Rate (161.06) and Percentage of ICU beds being used by COVID-19 patients (25.63%).
Thus, the region is on maximum alert as it enters the festive season.
Spain
The national 14-day IA rate is 253.74 which means that the country has crossed back into the ‘extreme risk’ status, recording the highest rate since the end of November. However, the rise in this rate has yet to place extra strain on hospitals nationally, which have a 9.2% occupancy rate for COVID-19 patients. However, the Ministry of Health fully expects this to rise over the next few days.
Health Minister Salvador Illa said that there was great concern about the sudden upward turn in infections, especially with the onset of Christmas where there is likely to be an increase in social interaction and movement across the regions. He has called on the public to be “extremely prudent” over the festive period.
On Sunday 27th December, the first vaccinations in Spain will start after the Health Minister confirmed that the country will receive 4.5 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine over the next 12 weeks. Some 350,000 doses will be delivered each week and distributed to the regions.
Data Explanation
1 The IA rate is the number of new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 inhabitants over the past 14 days. It is considered the most accurate measure of the spread of the virus. The aim of the Spanish government is to lower this rate to 25.
2 The positivity rate refers to the percentage of all COVID-19 tests carried out which have come back positive. A high figure means that it doesn’t take many tests to come across a positive result.
Resource Links
COVID-19 C.Valenciana: Monitorage de la Situació
Ministero de Sanidad: Actualización nº 277 (23/12/2020)
El Pais
