Three Autonomous Communities and Melilla come out of the extreme risk of transmission and 301 more deaths are reported

There are already three communities and one autonomous city that have left the area of ​​extreme risk of coronavirus transmission (less than 500 cases per 100,000): Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Community of Madrid and Melilla. The Ministry of Health has reported 301 more deaths and 33,911 infections since yesterday.

Terraces in Valencia. EFE/Biel Aliño

The 14-day cumulative incidence has dropped 58.5 points since Tuesday to 676 cases per 100,000 inhabitants on average, still an extreme risk of transmission in the whole of Spain.

The community with the highest accumulated incidence and the only one that exceeds a thousand infections is Galicia (1,126), while Andalusia (390), Castilla-La Mancha (433) and Madrid (476) are below 500 cases, high risk of transmission.

By age bracketsthe incidence was low in all groups, with 12 to 19 year-olds leading the way with 1,030 cases, followed by 20 to 29 with 820 and under 11 with 775 cases.

Deaths: 301 deaths

One more day the Ministry of Health has notified a high number of deaths, 301, after yesterday there were 173 and 464 last Monday, although there may be delays in notifications by the autonomous communities.

The death toll during the sixth wave, which began just over four months ago, amounts to 12,019.

The total number of deaths since records are available in this pandemic is 98,936.

The infections: 33,911

Health It has reported 33,911 infections since yesterday, a figure somewhat higher than that of Tuesday, 22,194, although far from the more than 300,000 that were reached after a weekend at the peak of the sixth wave.

Since the start of the pandemic in Spain, there are already 10,914,105 confirmed cases of coronavirus.

The positivity rate of diagnostic tests it continues to fall to 20.35%, four tenths less than yesterday.

Hospital occupancy continues to decline

The ICUs are at 12.52% bed occupancy with 1,162 patients, 23 less since yesterday although still at high risk (between 10 and 5%).

All the autonomous communities are below the extreme risk of occupation (25%). Catalonia and Aragon have 22% occupancy, while Galicia stands at 3.2%, in a new normality.

In Spanish hospitals, on the ward and ICU, there are 8,258 covid patients (6.6% occupancy), 601 fewer patients than last Friday and in a situation of medium risk (from 5% to 10% of occupied beds).

In the last 24 hours, 732 people have been admitted due to covid and 1,253 have been discharged.

Vaccines

In total there are 38,398,979 citizens, 91% of the population over 12 years of age, with the full schedule of the covid vaccine.

In addition, 23.9 million people have already received the booster dose, 50.5% of the general population.

57% of children aged 5 to 11 years (1.8 million out of 3.2 million) have received at least one dose and 15.8% already have the complete schedule since the campaign started on December 15 pediatric vaccination.

The Autonomous Communities, except the Basque Country, support the end of the mask on the street

All the autonomous communities, except the Basque Country, which has abstained, have endorsed the end of the mandatory nature of the mask outdoors from next Thursday. The exception is in mass events, including sports.

The Minister of Health, Carolina Darias (c), chairs the meeting of the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System held this Monday at the Ministry of Health. EFE/ Ministry of Health

The Interterritorial Council of the National Health System, made up of the Ministry of Health and the counselors of the autonomous communities, met this morning to give the green light for the end of the mask on the street, although it will continue to be recommended to use it if there are crowds.

Massive events, including sporting events, when standing or when the interpersonal distance of 1.5 meters cannot be kept if seated are excepted.

This measure will be definitively approved tomorrow by the Council of Ministers so that, after the publication of the decree law in the Official State Gazette on Wednesday, it enters into force next Thursday.

The mask in the street became mandatory again when the sixth wave rose strongly with the arrival of omicron and just as the Christmas holidays began. On Christmas Eve the mask returned to the outside, although many people continued to use it.

Several people with masks walk down the street. EFE/Brais Lorenzo

Capacity increases at sporting events

In this same meeting, the Interterritorial Council has increased the capacity in sporting events, which goes from 75% to 85% in open venues and from 50% to 75% if they are closed; These figures will be reviewed before the end of February when, some of the sources consulted point out, the entire public can resume.

Some communities, such as Madrid and Andalusia, have abstained on this point because they rejected that there were still capacity limitations.

On the other hand, at this morning’s meeting, the Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, has informed the directors of the last advances digital covid certificate within the European Commission.

In this way, the Ministry of Health has reported that a proposal to modify the regulation has been published so that these certificates can be issued to people who participate in clinical trials of vaccines against covid (as is the case of the Spanish Hipra) and that the documents can be accepted by other member states so as not to apply restrictions to free movement.

In this sense, Spain has proposed the issuance of digital recovery certificates based on antigen tests and not only on PCR tests as up to now, although these advances, says Health, must follow their regulatory course to be consolidated.