VIRUS UPDATE: No new positives detected in Xàbia since last update

Tuesday 4th May 2021 – Compiled by MIKE SMITH

No new positive cases were detected in Xàbia for the first time since April 19th in the latest updated from the regional health ministry whilst the municipality’s 14-day IA rate, a measure of the speed at which the virus moves through the population, has dropped to 42.82 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, which places the town in the ‘Low Risk’ category of infection. Since the pandemic began, 1,456 positive cases have been detected in Xàbia.

Orba (134.41), Teulada (806.40) and Calp (68.59) are the municipalities in the Marina Alta region that find themselves in the ‘Medium Risk’ category this Tuesday. Elsewhere Dénia recorded six new positive cases but remain in the ‘Low Risk’ category whilst Pedreguer detected two but continue at the ‘New Normal’ level. In total, the Marina Alta detected 14 new positive cases of coronavirus. Sadly, there has been one death – in Pedreguer – which takes the region’s toll to 202.

Much of the Marina Alta (82%) is coloured green, the ‘New Normal’ level, with most of the 33 municipalities in the comarca having not recorded a new positive case since Friday. However, region’s 14-day IA rate has risen slightly to 35.16 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, although this is still below the average for all health authorities in the Comunidad Valenciana.

Spain

Spain’s 14-day IA rate is 223.75 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, placing the country in the ‘High Risk’ category. The rate has been dropping steadily for the past week, along with the Positivity Rate, the measure of how many coronavirus tests return positive, has dropped below 7.0% for the first time since the beginning of April.

Across the autonomous regions, the País Vasco still leads the way with a 14-day IA rate of 496.91, placing it firmly in the highest ‘Extreme Risk’ category along with seven others – Madrid, Mellila, Navarra, Cataluña, Aragón, La Rioja and Cantabria – whilst the Comunidad Valenciana (42.97) remains the only region in the ‘Low Risk’ level and the good news is that the region’s recent rate of increase appears to be slowing. Infection spread has been dropping steadily in six autonomous regions: Ceuta, Melilla, Canarias, Navarra Extremedura and Asturias; and it has been rising consistently in four: Pais Vasco, La Rioja, Cantabria and Cataluña.

The newspaper El País has reported that deaths from COVID-19 in Spain fell to their lowest monthly total since last summer, prompting experts to admit that they are cautiously optimistic that the vaccination campaign is having the desired effect but adding the warning that there are still many uncertainties, such as new variants of coronavirus.

 Elena Vanessa Martínez, president of the Spanish Epidemiology Society (SEE) said: “If this pandemic has shown us something, it’s that each time we begin to think that something is safe, reality hits us in the face. But there is no doubt that we are on a good path. One of the things that we can be proud of – and that also explains the current situation – is that we were able to prevent Easter week from becoming another Christmas or summer [when increased social activity led to new waves of infections]. Measures were adjusted and this meant that the uptick was not greater nor did it turn into a new wave. It makes me afraid just to say it, but I think we are a bit closer to the end.”

Vaccination (03.05.21)

Spain has administered 17,130,598 doses of vaccine, which is 97.3% of those which it has already received. A total of 5,098,903 people have completed the recommended course, which is 11.7% of the total of the population which is to be vaccinated (40,129,822).

According to the latest data provided by the health authorities, 72.0% of people aged 60 and over in Spain have received at least one dose, with 27.8% having completed the recommended course.

The Comunidad Valenciana has administered 1,699,445 doses of vaccine, which is 99.0% of the total which it has received. A total of 507,293 people have completed the recommended course, which 11.2% of the population which is to be vaccinated (4,289,305).

According to the latest data provided by the health authorities, 67.8% of people aged 60 and over in the Comunidad Valenciana have received at least one dose, with 28.4% having completed the recommended course.

The newspaper El País reported that the vaccination campaign in Spain is accelerating with more than 8.33 million doses administered during April, significantly more than the 8.04 million jabs given during the whole of the first quarter. In addition, the number of people who have received at least one dose has shot up from around 5 million to almost 12 million, almost 30% of the population which is to be vaccinated. The best regions for vaccination have been Andalusia, Extremadura and the Comunidad Valenciana whilst the slowest regions have been País Vasco, Murcía and Galicia.

LINKS

• Actualización nº 366. Enfermedad por el coronavirus (COVID-19). 03.05.2021
• GIV COVID-19 Gestión integral de la vacunación COVID-19
• COVID-19 C. Valenciana: Monitoratge de la situació