The Delta variant was responsible for a huge upsurge in infections in Spain at the beginning of the summer
In late June, the vaccination campaign was still progressing at a good pace and the incidence of the virus in older populations was well contained, with just 24.84 cases per 100,000 people in those over 80. However, among the younger generations, the rate of infections began to surge, hitting 345.26 in the 12 to 19 age group.
Thus began the fifth wave of the pandemic in Spain, with figures in July almost hitting the devastating 863,961 cases recorded in January following the Christmas celebrations, making it the second-worst month of the year so far. Although many cases this summer were in young people with only mild symptoms, Covid has sent 17,201 people to hospitals and has seen 3,374 admitted to intensive care. Despite these high numbers, the vaccination campaign has certainly reduced the rate of severe cases of coronavirus.
However, it was really in August that quite a few of these serious cases went to the extreme, with an average of 91.26 people dying every day. In many areas of Spain, this number actually rose as high as 150 daily deaths.
The 2,829 deaths in August even exceed the 2,752 registered in April, when Spain was still in a state of alarm and was suffering the last consequences of the third wave.
In terms of human losses, only the first three months of the year were worse, with 10,528 deaths in February, 8,003 in January and 5,932 in March. That black quarter saw more than 1.3 million people affected by Covid and killed more than 24,000. The mortality rate has dropped significantly throughout 2021, however, with the vaccination strategy cutting the number of deaths by almost a fifth between June and August overall.
Image: Archive
Source: Murcia Today
