Coronavirus in Extremadura: Extremadura registers 22 deaths, 4 more than a week ago, and has 119 admitted

Extremadura has registered 22 deaths with covid-19 in the last week, which brings the total number of fatalities since the start of the pandemic (in March 2020) to 2,375, according to the balance offered every Thursday on the epidemiological situation the General Directorate of Public Health. The number of deaths from the virus in the last seven days is significant as it exceeds twenty again. That is four more than last week (between May 14 and 19) when 18 deaths were reported, but two less than the previous week (between May 6 and 13) when 24 were reported. In fact, it is the second highest number of deaths in the last three months.

According to the latest report provided by Public Health, 19 of the people who have died with the virus since last Friday were vaccinated while three of them had not received the vaccine. Their ages range between 54 and 99 years.

Specifically, the virus has claimed the lives of 13 men: two men aged 54 and 79, both from Cáceres; two from Badajoz, aged 61 and 85; another 63 years old from Almendralejo; another 82-year-old from Villasbuenas de Gata; another 83-year-old from Ribera del Fresno; another 84-year-old from Jerez de los Caballeros; another 86-year-old from Higuera la Real; another 94-year-old from Villanueva de la Serena and another of the same age from Talarrubias; another 95-year-old from Valdastillas; and another 99-year-old from Castuera.

As for the women, they were: 75 years old and 86 years old, both from Badajoz; 85 and 95 years old, both from Mérida; 92 years old from Don Benito and another of the same age from Fregenal de la Sierra; 98 years old from Torrecilla de los Ángeles and another with the same age from Azuaga; and 99 years of Ribera del Fresno.

The week from April 30 to May 5, 14 deaths were recorded, as was the week before that period (from April 22 to 29). The other weeks of April and March between 7 and 14 weekly deaths were recorded.

It should be remembered that in recent months the infections have been rising due to the end of the restrictions, the increase in mobility and the greater social activity of Extremadurans. A few weeks after this rebound in cases began, an increase in hospital admissions of infected patients also began to be reported and, as a consequence of this evolution, this month of May is when this peak in deaths is being seen.

Income

The number of hospitalized patients in the region, which has also been increasing in recent months, has moderated slightly. At the moment, 119 people with covid-19 are admitted to hospitals in Extremadura, 17 fewer than last Thursday. Of these, 26 patients are admitted to the Cáceres health area, which right now is the one with the most hospital pressure registered. Another 24 infected are being treated in the Don Benito-Villanueva de la Serena health area. The Badajoz health area has 21 patients admitted. Another 20 patients are hospitalized in the Mérida area. The Plasencia health area has 11 admitted patients. In the Llerena-Zafra health area there are ten patients admitted for covid-19, while in Navalmoral de la Mata there are five and in the Coria area there are two.

Of the people who remain hospitalized, one remains in the ICU, just like last week. The patient is in the Badajoz area.

Cumulative incidence

The cumulative incidence at 14 days in the region in people over 60 years of age continues to decline. Today it stands at 1,188 cases per one hundred thousand inhabitants at 14 days and at 7 days at 499. The figures for these indicators have been declining since the peak was reached two weeks ago, on May 12, these parameters marked 1,547 at 14 days and 792 at 7 days.

It should be remembered that during the last week of March, the new surveillance and control strategy against covid-19 was launched, which consists of changing the measurement of coronavirus infection. Since then, asymptomatic positives or those with mild symptoms have not been counted and only serious cases, vulnerable people, as well as personnel in the socio-health field are controlled.

For this reason, the reports published by both Public Health and the Ministry of Health no longer include the positive cases that occur in the general population and the cumulative incidence figures refer to people over 60 years of age.

In addition, the evolution of the pandemic and the very high vaccination coverage has led to a ‘flu’ of covid-19. Restrictions have been eliminated, diagnostic tests have been abandoned, isolation has ended and on April 20 the mask was no longer mandatory indoors. Although we must not forget, yes, that there are some exceptions established by the experts of the Alerts Conference. The imposition of this protection is maintained for hospitals (both for workers and for those admitted if they share common areas), nursing homes (not for residents, but for workers and visitors) and public transport. In addition, a “responsible use” will be recommended in the vulnerable population, when a safety distance of one and a half meters cannot be kept and in places where there is no good ventilation.