The cumulative incidence of coronavirus cases has dropped in one week, from Friday to Friday, 150 points, to 463 cases per 100,000. In the same period of the previous week that difference was more than 300 points, so the rate of decline is slowing down. The Ministry of Health has reported today 22,400 infections and 174 more deaths.
A health worker walks down the corridor of a hospital. EFE/Javier Belver
Compared to yesterday, the accumulated incidence has dropped by only 12 points, but the decline phase of the sixth wave continues in Spain, which has already left the extreme risk (more than 500 cases) and is at high risk.
The Canary Islands are rising in cases this week with an incidence of 868/100,000, compared to 692 last Friday.
Still at extreme risk are Galicia (722, slowly falling); Murcia (667); Aragon (508); Catalonia (659); Extremadura (572, slightly rising) and La Rioja (571).
With less incidence, at low risk: Andalusia (276); Castile-La Mancha (269); Madrid (268) and Melilla (238).
By age brackets, the highest incidence occurs in the group of 12 to 19 years (727); followed by those between 20 and 29 years old (597) and those between 30 and 39 (507).
Deaths: 1,003 reported
The Ministry of Health has notified a total of 1,003 deaths from covid since last Friday, although many of them have an earlier date of death and have been communicated late by the autonomous communities.
Last Wednesday, more than 100,000 deaths from covid were reached since records were kept at the beginning of the pandemic and this Friday they add up to 100,413.
Compared to yesterday, 174 more deaths were reported.
Infections down
According to him Ministry of Healththe total of positive notified this Friday compared to the previous day is 22,400 and 122,904 in the last eight days.
The previous week, from February 21 to 25, a total of 168,302 were recorded, reflecting a progressive drop in coronavirus cases.
This week the barrier of 11 million infections was also overcome, 11,100,428 this Friday, since the start of the pandemic.
The positivity rate of diagnostic tests It continues to drop to 16.62%, 2.6% less in a week.
No pressure in hospitals
The ICUs are at 9.3% bed occupancy with 851 patients, 39 fewer than yesterday and 202 fewer since Friday, February 25.
In Spanish hospitals, on the ward and ICU, there are 5,693 covid patients (4.5% occupancy), 296 less than yesterday and 1,555 less than the previous Friday.
vaccinations
In total there are 39.1 citizens, 91.1% of the population over 12 years of age, with the complete schedule of the covid vaccine.
In addition, 24.2 million people have already received the booster dose, 51.1% of the general population.
57.6% of children between 5 and 11 years old (1.8 million out of 3.2 million) have received at least one dose and 20.1% already have the complete schedule since the start of the pediatric vaccination campaign.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that it would be premature to terminate the coronavirus pandemic since contagion remains high in many countries and global vaccination has not reached the minimum required.
The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus/ EFE/EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT/File
“It is too early to claim victory. There are still many countries with low vaccine coverage and there is high transmission” to see the end of the pandemic, he said at a virtual press conference WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Adhanom considered the reduction in contagion globally “encouraging” and that some countries are lifting restrictions, but recalled that the threat of a new variant remains “real” and that the only way to end the pandemic is through vaccination. .
While 56% of the world’s population has already received the complete guideline, in countries with fewer resources that figure is reduced to 9%, when the objective of the who is that it reaches 70% in all states.
“Although omicron is less severe, the number of hospitalized and dead is higher than that of delta, due to its greater volume, due to the accumulated health burden and because the levels of vaccination coverage are insufficient,” he said. the head of the Department of Emerging Diseases, Maria Van Kerkhove.
The adviser to the director of the WHO, Bruce Aylward, recalled that the necessary supply exists to achieve the immunization goal, but that its control is “in very few hands.”
“The only way to achieve global security is with a more equitable distribution,” he said.
The pandemic and its effects on mental health
The WHO recalled that covid-19 has also put a “high toll” on mental health and that the greatest effects for it have been recorded in the areas hardest hit by the virus.
According to a study by this organization, the number of severe depressions increased by 27.6% during the first year of the pandemic, and the number of cases of anxiety, by 25.6%.
For this reason, the WHO highlights the need to take into account mental health and psychological support when dealing with the coronavirus.
Ukraine and the urgent need for a safe corridor
The appearance of Adhanom and other senior WHO officials was also focused on the situation in Ukraine, and included a call for the “urgent need” to establish a safe corridor to facilitate the arrival of medical supplies in the midst of the war with Russia.
The first shipment of medical equipment, transported from Dubai, will arrive in Poland tomorrow and will include specialized medical equipment that could cover the needs of around 150,000 people, the WHO announced.
Adhamom pointed out that there will be more shipments in the coming days and explained that 5.2 million dollars (4.7 million euros in exchange) have already been withdrawn from the WHO emergency fund, but that another 45 million (40 million euros) for the next three months.
“There is some access to material, but given the evolution of the conflict, we fear a worsening of the situation,” said the Director of WHO-Ukraine, Jarno Habicht.
Habicht lamented the impossibility of distributing the medical supplies stored in the WHO warehouses in Kiev, citing the lack of oxygen and medicines and the problems in carrying out the polio vaccination campaign among the concerns.
The WHO also expressed concern about reports of attacks on hospitals and health personnel, although it admitted that so far only one has been confirmed last week. “The neutrality of hospitals and staff must be respected and protected. To do otherwise would be a violation of international law,” Adhamom said.
Spain has come out of the extreme risk of coronavirus transmission by dropping below 500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (486), although the total number of deaths already exceeds 100,000. This scenario poses a change in the epidemiological surveillance strategy that will be analyzed on March 10 with the autonomous communities in Zaragoza.
The celebration of the Mobile Word Congress in Barcelona, a reflection of the recovery of normality due to the pandemic. EFE/Enric Fontcuberta
The average number of infections in Spain reached the extreme or very high risk of coronavirus transmission on December 17 and continued to rise until reaching the peak of the sixth wave on Friday, January 21, with 3,418 cases per 100,000 inhabitants after the outbreak of the omicron variant.
After the meeting this afternoon of the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System, the Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, at a press conference, considered that Spain is “on the right track” and that for that reason the new scenarios must be analyzed epidemiological.
Thus, Darias has announced the holding on March 10 of a meeting in Zaragoza of the Government with the autonomous communities and epidemiological experts to address the global health surveillance strategy and the transition to a new model “jointly” throughout the national territory and in coordination with the European Union.
Asked if there has been a debate about eliminating the mandatory nature of masks indoors (it is no longer mandatory outdoors) and if the proposal to start by removing them in schools, as proposed by Catalonia and Andalusia, has been discussed, the minister has forwarded to the meeting on March 10 in Zaragoza.
“When we go together we advance further, we must work in a rhythmic manner to take firm steps forward”, he added.
The Ministry of Health has decided to change the periodicity, now from Monday to Friday, of the national epidemiological evolution reports. Thus, the vaccination report will be given one day a week from the next and the incidence, infections, deaths and hospital occupation will be issued two days a week from March 14.
The data
The cumulative incidence it has dropped 29 points since yesterday from 515 to 486 cases per 100,000.
Above this extreme risk of transmission of the virus are Galicia, the Canary Islands and Murcia with more than 700 cases; Catalonia and the Basque Country with more than 600 and with more than 500, Aragón, Asturias, Cantabria, Castilla y León, Extremadura and Navarra.
With less incidence: Melilla (246); Castilla-La Mancha (274), Andalusia (291) and Madrid (297).
By age bracketsthe group between 12 and 19 years old has the highest incidence (742), followed by those between 20 and 29 years old (620).
Health has reported 18,803 infections since yesterday, the lowest daily figure in recent weeks.
Since the start of the pandemic in Spain there are already 11,054,888 coronavirus infections on record.
The positivity rate of diagnostic tests it continues to fall to 17.06%, a few tenths less than yesterday.
Despite the decline in all indicators, the death toll remains high and, since records have been available since the start of the pandemic, 100,037 have been reached this Wednesday, after the 154 most reported since yesterday.
The ucis they are at 9.8% bed occupancy with 902 patients, although they are still at high risk (between 10% and 5%).
In Spanish hospitals, on the ward and ICU, there are 6,188 covid patients (4.9% occupancy) and in a low risk situation (from 5% to 2% of occupied beds).
Vaccines
In total there are 39,062,167 citizens91% of the population over 12 years of age, with the full course of the covid vaccine.
In addition, 24.1 million people have already received the booster dose, 50.9% of the general population.
57.5% of children between 5 and 11 years old (1.8 million out of 3.2 million) have received at least one dose and 19% already have the complete schedule since the campaign started on December 15 pediatric vaccination.
Spain offers 5,000 hospital beds to Ukraine
Spain has offered Ukraine, in the midst of the war over the invasion of Russia, 5,000 hospital beds in all the autonomous communities and medical supplies, medicines and respirators in coordination with the European Union.
The Spanish contribution exceeds that of the surrounding European countries in a gesture of “solidarity” with Ukraine in “times of difficulty and unity”, announced the Minister of Health.
As of March 5, close contacts of coronavirus cases who are not vaccinated are no longer required to quarantine, so the end of social isolation of all close contacts (vaccinated and unvaccinated) is reached, something that It especially affects schools.
The end of the quarantine for positive contacts has been agreed this Tuesday by the Public Health Commission, made up of general directors of the autonomous communities and the Ministry of Healthwhich maintains isolation for at least 7 days for people positive for coronavirus.
They recommend, however, that during the 10 days after the last exposure, extreme precautions are taken and social interactions are reduced as much as possible, constantly using the mask and maintaining adequate hand hygiene, especially avoiding contact with vulnerable people.
Impact on schools
The lifting of this restriction for unvaccinated contacts mostly affects children who will now be able to leave home if they do not have symptoms despite there being a positive case in the family.
This measure will be felt especially in schools where, starting next Tuesday, it will not be necessary to close classrooms nor will children have to quarantine when there are five or more positives in their class.
Start of the 2020-2021 academic year at the López Ferreiro school in Santiago de Compostela. EFE/Xoán Rey
Children between 5 and 11 years old have been in the vaccination process since last December 15. 57.4% have already received a dose and 18.4% the complete regimen.
On December 29, the Public Health Commission agreed to reduce the period of home isolation for people mildly infected with coronavirus from 10 to 7 days, a period of time that was also shortened to 7 days for unvaccinated close contacts.
Increasing the numbers of immunized people has been the new commitment of the health authorities of the Valle del Cauca capital.
Until now, a coverage of 83.5 percent has been reached in the first dose and 67.5 in the second.
The Secretary of Health, Miyerlandi Torres, said that it is important to promote efforts with the different actors of the system, Promoter Companies (EOS) and Provider Institutions (IPS) to reach the 70 percent coverage established by the Government to remove the face mask in the air. free.
The strategy will focus on approaching spaces where there is a high concentration of people such as massive events, market places, nightlife areas, in the Transportation Terminal and even in the Pance sector, said Dr. Torres.
The different vaccination strategies imposed have made it possible to apply 35 million doses.
At the beginning of February, the averages were at 81 percent in first doses and 63 percent with the full schematic.
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“It is important to clarify that vaccination is what is saving lives in the midst of the fourth peak,” he said. Miyerlandi Torres Agredo, district health secretary.
“This achievement is an incentive to continue vaccinating. I invite everyone, including older adults, to also adhere to the booster dose”, she emphasized.
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The commitment of the Ministry of Health, the mayor’s office of Cali and the organizations that provide health services, both public and private, demonstrates that expanding the coverage of vaccinated people is also the responsibility of the people of Cali.
In this way, those in charge of continuing with the health strategies hope to achieve the next objective established by the Ministry of Health for the February 16thwhich is to vaccinate 82 percent of people, with at least one dose, and 70 percent with complete schedules.
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The accumulated incidence of coronavirus has dropped 306 points since last Friday, February 18, the week in which Health has reported 1,412 deaths, although some cases are delays in notifications. The sixth wave continues to decline in all indicators, especially in hospitals.
This Friday the incidence stands at 613 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, 35 points less than yesterday (648) and compared to 919 last Friday, a difference of 306 points, still at extreme risk of transmission as long as it does not drop below 500/100,000.
However, the week of February 14 to 18 this difference in the rate of decline was, from Friday to Friday, 542 points, so the curve is slowing down.
All the autonomous communities have dropped below a thousand cases and Galicia, with 999, is in the lead, although its drop is visible since last Friday it had 1,500 new cases.
On the other side, Melilla has 290; Andalusia 313; Castile-La Mancha 390 and Madrid 398.
By age groups, the highest incidence occurs in the group of 12 to 19 years (983); followed by those between 20 and 29 years old (752).
Deaths: 1,412 reported
The Ministry of Health It has notified a total of 1,412 deaths from covid since last Friday, although many of them have an earlier date of death and have been communicated late by the autonomous communities.
This Friday, 248 deaths have been reported, 226 yesterday, 301 on Wednesday, 173 on Tuesday and 464 on Monday after the weekend.
Since death records are available from this health crisis, a total of 99,410 people have died in Spain.
Infections down
According to the Ministry of Health, the total number of positives reported this Friday compared to the previous day is 27,527 and 168,302 in the last eight days.
The previous week, from February 14 to 18, a total of 205,022 were recorded, reflecting a progressive drop in coronavirus cases.
Since the start of the pandemic, as far as is known, there have been 10,977,524 cases in Spain.
The positivity rate of diagnostic tests continues to drop to 19.22%, 3.8 points less in a week.
Less hospital strain
The ICUs are at 11.38% bed occupancy with 1,053 patients, 59 less than yesterday and 231 less since Friday, February 18.
No autonomous community is in a situation of extreme risk (more than 25% occupancy), although Catalonia has 20.75%.
In Spanish hospitals, on the ward and ICU, there are 7,248 covid patients (5.848% occupancy), 576 less than yesterday and 2,494 less than the previous Friday.
vaccinations
In total there are 38,425,973 citizens91.1% of the population over 12 years of age, with the full schedule of the covid vaccine.
In addition, 24 million people have already received the booster dose, 50.7% of the general population.
57.1% of children between 5 and 11 years old (1.8 million out of 3.2 million) have received at least one dose and 16.7% already have the complete schedule since the start of the pediatric vaccination campaign.
The UCRI, efficiency and quality of care, also against the coronavirus
In fact, this good health data, always maintaining the utmost respect for the deceased and their families, and assessing the strengths and mutations of the microorganism, which is so devastating, has been achieved during the sixth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As of February 11, 570 patients had been admitted to La Princesa, of which 143 were treated at the UCRI. Twenty-six died, ”says Dr. Enrique Zamora García, head of the Intermediate Respiratory Care Unit of the Pneumology Service.
If the almost 5,000 patients who were admitted to this level 3 hospital center during the entire pandemic period, from March 2020, were counted, the sum of resulting deaths, both in the ICU and IRCU and on the hospital ward, would reach 14.5% of cases treated to date.
Admissions, discharges and deaths at the Hospital de La Princesa since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
“The first wave caught us off guard, since no one expected the huge number of infections that we suffered. This collapse of the health system forced us to organize and coordinate as quickly as possible, but, once the first major impact was overcome, we managed to anticipate the virus day after day », he highlights.
According to a study published in the Journal of Respiratory Pathology of the NeumoMadrid Foundation at the end of 2021, severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection led to more than 15% of the cases registered in fourteen hospitals being admitted to critical care. Madrilenians (85% of the referenced population).
25% of these people with severe respiratory failure required invasive or non-invasive ventilatory support, with a recognized mortality rate between 8% and 36% depending on the series.
On the occasion of the SEPAR 2022 year dedicated to the UCRI, and in an interview granted to EFEsalud, the specialized website of the EFE Agency, Dr. Zamora García underlines the keys to achieving a high level of success for the ucri in the face of the merciless coronavirus and other pathologies with lung involvement, such as COPD: «Training, clinical experience and scientific evidence«.
The respiratory reasons of the UCRI
The Intermediate Respiratory Care Units offer medical assistance to patients with pulmonary insufficiency caused by any disease that decreases oxygen levels in the blood or increases carbon dioxide levels dangerously.
“We are talking about respiratory patients whose prognosis is not so serious as to require invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), and remain in the ICU, but who do need much more attention, monitoring and surveillance than any other patient hospitalized on the ward,” says the pulmonologist .
“Therefore, they are patients who require high-concentration oxygen with non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) and monitoring of vital signs, such as blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation level or heart rate,” he adds.
In the IRCU, patients with acute respiratory failure caused by a primary disease, such as a viral or bacterial pneumoniaamyotrophic lateral sclerosis (neuromuscular), rib cage pathologies, hypoventilation-obesity syndrome, COPD or a tuberculosis.
“Also, we care for post-thoracic surgical patients, with tracheotomy or with difficulty in weaning from Invasive Mechanical Ventilation (IMV), always a relief for the overload of critical patients in the ICU”, reports Dr. Zamora.
Invasive and Non-Invasive Ventilation
“With IMV, the airway is entered through sedation and endotracheal intubation, that is, inserting a tube through the nose or mouth in most cases. This tube is connected to a mechanical ventilator (respirator) », he describes.
If the patient requires a tracheotomy to be able to breathe, a hole will be made in the front outer area of the neck through which a tube will be inserted to where the trachea branches into the lungs.
“With NIMV, air is delivered through a mask that can cover the patient’s nose and mouth. The tubing of the automatic respirator sends a positive pressure to the patient without the need to intubate him, that is, without the need to insert a tube through his airways.
Dr. Enrique Zamora Garcia
In covid times, in addition, the ucris have kept the back of the ucis.
Pulmonology was forced to offer NIMV as a therapy in cases of pneumonia with severe hypoxemia, where the ICUs were overwhelmed to offer invasive support.
“At the same time, there are patients who need to leave intensive care to receive treatment in intermediate care; a protocol based on clinical experience that has substantially improved its prognosis », she indicates.
There are more and more publications that support the usefulness and safety of non-invasive therapy as support for patients with severe pneumonia without ICU criteria or as a way to try to reduce the number of orotracheal intubations.
«In summary -he adds-, in the ICUs we provide all kinds of respiratory support and specialized hospital care, except for Invasive Mechanical Ventilation -intubation-. Nor do we take care of patients with involvement of any other organ that puts their lives in danger.
In this clinical sense, the ucris already existed, although not in all hospitals.
“Before the coronavirus pandemic, there were fewer ucris, but the ones that worked were not equipped with enough beds with their corresponding applied technologies,” he mentions.
“What the covid has come to highlight is the relevance of these units, which were perhaps not so well known to the vast majority of the population. The ucris free ICU beds and manage many patients with high quality and efficiency“, he emphasizes.
In the case of the Autonomous Community of Madrid, most hospital centers have expanded or implemented these resources during the pandemic, a clear opportunity that has improved and improves the respiratory situation of thousands of covid patients.
For the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR), the Intermediate Respiratory Care Units enhance the role of pulmonology, nursing and respiratory physiotherapy.
“The National Health System must promote the training of professionals, scientific research and the publication of knowledge around the ucris”, SEPAR emphasized in a press release.
In turn, Dr. Enrique Zamora García demands, with the calm that characterizes him, a significant increase in personnel contracts for these “essential” respiratory units: more well-trained doctors, nurses and auxiliaries.
“It is the open secret that conditions health quality of any hospital unit, such as the UCRI of La Princesa”, concludes one of the most experienced specialists of the Pneumology Service that directs the Dr. Julio Ancochea Bermudezprofessor of Medicine at the UAM and president of Asomega.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam says the semi-autonomous Chinese city will begin mandatory COVID-19 testing of its 7.5 million people next month.
Lam told reporters Wednesday that Hong Kong will boost its testing capacity to one million tests per day by next month, and that residents will be tested three times during March. She also said the city is aiming to boost its vaccination rate to 90% by next month.
The Asian financial hub is struggling to cope with a surge of new coronavirus cases driven by the highly contagious omicron variant. Since the start of 2022, Hong Kong has recorded more than 53,000 COVID-19 cases and 145 deaths. The surge has pushed the city’s health care system to the point of collapse, with thousands of patients being treated outside public hospitals in the rain and chilly weather. The city is rushing to build isolation facilities to house thousands of coronavirus patients, including the conversion of public housing estates and indoor sport centers.
An analysis conducted by researchers at the University of Hong Kong predicts the city’s infection rate could soar to 180,000 new cases a day by early next month, with the number of deaths rising to more than 3,200 by mid-May.
Despite the rising numbers of new coronavirus cases, Lam said Hong Kong will continue pursuing a “zero COVID” strategy, similar to that of mainland China, which aims to completely eliminate coronavirus outbreaks.
Lam also said Hong Kong will move the annual school holiday season held from July through August to March and April so school buildings can be converted into testing, isolation and vaccination centers. She also extended a fight ban on at least eight nations classified as high risk, including Britain and the United States, until April 20.
South Korea’s drug regulatory agency announced Wednesday that it has approved the use of Pfizer’s two-dose COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11, the first to be approved for that age group. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said the vaccine was found to be nearly 91% effective in preventing the virus in that age group.
South Korea is also dealing with an omicron-driven surge of new coronavirus cases, with the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency reporting 171,452 new COVID-19 infections Wednesday, setting a new one-day record.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
The rate of the incidence of coronavirus cases shows a slight slowdown, falling 50 points since yesterday, the lowest difference in recent weeks. All the indicators of the sixth wave continue to fall, especially daily infections, 22,194, and deaths, 173.
Two men consume at the bar of a bar in San Sebastián after the restrictions are lifted. EFE/Javier Etxezarreta
After the weekend, the incidence fell 133 points this Monday compared to Friday and 65 compared to Thursday, so a slight slowdown is observed.
The accumulated incidence stands at 735 cases per 100,000 (786 yesterday), still in a situation of very high risk of transmission until it drops below 500 cases.
Only Galicia (1,194 cases) and Murcia (1,040) are above a thousand cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
At the other extreme, Melilla (392) and Andalusia (419).
By age brackets the incidence was low in all groups, with 12 to 19 year-olds leading the way with 1,074 cases, followed by 20 to 29 with 853 and under 11 with 847 cases.
The infections: 22,194
Health It has reported 22,194 infections since yesterday, the lowest daily figure in recent weeks and 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 10,880,194 coronavirus infections on record.
The positivity rate of diagnostic tests still down to 20.39% vs. 21.32 yesterday.
Deaths: 173 deaths
The Ministry of Health has reported 173 more deaths, one of the lowest figures in recent days since 464 were reported yesterday, and there are cases that are due to delays in communication.
The total number of deaths since records are available in this pandemic is 98,635.
The drop in hospital occupancy continues
The ICUs are at 12.77% bed occupancy with 1,185 patients, 39 fewer since yesterday and at medium risk (between 10 and 5%).
All the autonomous communities are below the very high risk of occupation (25%). Catalonia is the one with the most occupation (23.93%) and Galicia the one with the least, 3.36%, in a new normality.
In Spanish hospitals, on the ward and ICU, there are 8,859 covid patients (7.13% occupancy), 505 fewer patients than last Friday and in a situation of medium risk (5 to 10% of occupied beds).
In the last 24 hours, 747 people have been admitted due to covid and 1,268 have been discharged.
Isabel II, de 95 años, ha dado positivo en el test de coronavirus, una confirmación que culmina una de las semanas más turbulentas para la familia real británica en los últimos tiempos. El palacio de Buckingham confirmó este domingo el diagnóstico en un comunicado cuidadosamente redactado para contener el pánico. El texto indica no solo que la reina se encuentra bien, con síntomas “leves” propios de un catarro, sino que prevé mantener su agenda, al menos, las tareas más “ligeras”.
Conscientes de los temblores que causa cualquier información sobre la salud de la nonagenaria soberana, los mandarines palaciegos han querido transmitir, ante todo, dos mensajes: uno de transparencia, puesto que no es la primera vez que se les critica por no ser claros sobre el estado real de Isabel II; y otro de calma, muy necesario cuando el debate de la sucesión ha vuelto a primera plana ante los 70 años que la monarca cumple en el trono este 2022.
El virus había rondado estas semanas de cerca al círculo de Isabel II y había trascendido que varias personas en el castillo de Windsor, donde reside, han dado positivo. La semana pasada, su primogénito, el príncipe Carlos, anunciaba, dos días después de estar con su madre, que había contraído el virus, en su caso por segunda vez. Y el pasado lunes, su esposa, Camila Parker-Bowles, también confirmaba que estaba contagiada. La reina, que se puso la primera dosis de la vacuna en enero de 2021, había sido vista en un acto público. Pese a bromear con su reducida movilidad, tenía buen aspecto.
The arrival of the coronavirus in our lives has made the word immunity part of everyday vocabulary. Antibodies generated after suffering from covid or antibodies provided by vaccines are our allies against SARS-CoV-2. But T cells or lymphocytes also play a fundamental role against this virus.
T lymphocytes. Image courtesy of Melio.
Our immune system, which includes T cells, is made up of a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work in concert to recognize and attack foreigners, especially viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi that cause disease.
Biologist Teresa Bermejo, from the medical team at Melio (online blood testing platform), explains the types of immunity:
Innate immunity: It is the first line of defense against a pathogen that generates infection with a rapid reaction but recognizes certain molecules of that foreign microorganism, not all of them, so its specificity is limited.
Adaptive Immunity: On the other hand, this type of immunity produces a slower but more specific reaction, so its response develops throughout life and protects us against future reinfections. T lymphocytes are part of this immunity.
T lymphocytes in six keys
1. T lymphocytes, a type of adaptive immunity
Inside of adaptive immunity There are, in turn, two types of responses: humoral immunity and cellular immunity. Both responses do not act independently, but their activation and action is coordinated.
The humoral immunity is mediated by B lymphocytes that produce antibodies or immunoglobulins. These antibodies recognize pathogens, bind to them and neutralize them.
Cellular immunity: the T lymphocytes They are part of this immune response and are the main defense mechanism against intracellular microorganisms, pathogens that grow and multiply inside the cells of the host they are infecting, such as SARS-CoV2.
The immune response of T lymphocytes is based on detecting and destroying those cells that have been infected. In this way they prevent the microorganism from replicating and spreading the infection. In addition, they release different cytokines and messengers that activate other cells that participate in the immune response.
2. The work of T lymphocytes
T cells are made in the bone marrow. Then they travel to the thymus, a gland where they are going to be “educated” so that they express receptors capable of detecting pathogens and differentiating them from our own cells so that the immune system does not attack the healthy cells of our body.
The newly formed T lymphocytes leave the thymus and circulate through the blood, lymph and secondary lymphoid organs (spleen, lymph nodes, mucous membranes…) and during their journey they can come into contact with a pathogen capable of binding to their receptors and thus become infected. will activate the immune response.
Route of T lymphocytes from their origin. Image courtesy of Melio
3. What happens when you get infected with COVID-19?
We can get covid when SARS-Cov-2 infects the superficial cells of our airways. T cells will be responsible for identifying and eliminating those cells that have been infected, without damaging those that are healthy and are in the vicinity.
Much of the memory of the immune system is due to these cells. We know that the memory of T cells can last for decades, but we still do not know for how long they provide us with protection against SARS-CoV-2, since it is a too recent virus and not enough time has passed yet to specify it.
T lymphocytes in the spleen come into contact with a pathogen. Image courtesy of Melio.
4. Do vaccines generate cellular immunity?
The main objective of vaccines is to activate the immune system and achieve a response as similar as possible to that which would be produced by infection by the virus. In this way it is possible to generate memory against a pathogen without the harmful effects of suffering from the disease.
The response of T cells when the COVID-19 vaccine is administered is similar to the response to real infection, which induces these cells to reproduce and generate memory T cells, which will protect us against future infections.
5. Study cellular immunity
If a T lymphocyte that has specific receptors against a pathogen comes into contact with it, it will bind to the proteins on its membrane. This causes that T cell to activate and release a series of molecules called cytokines that will stimulate and regulate the action of other components of the immune system.
The tests that study cellular immunity are based on this process. A sample of the patient’s blood, containing T cells, is brought into contact with fragments of the virus capable of stimulating them. The cytokines released during this process will be detected by different analytical techniques.
6. Cellular immunity and antibody test
Our body is not capable of developing a robust immune response mediated solely by humoral immunity or cellular immunity. For the system to work and offer us an appropriate response, it is necessary for the components of both types of immunity to interact with each other.
This means that, while the T cell-mediated response is important in fighting the coronavirus, it is only half of the immune response, with antibody production (produced by B lymphocytes) being the remaining half.
Carrying out a covid cellular immunity test can tell if an immune response mediated by T cells has been generated after being infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus or having been vaccinated. However, for a more complete view of the immune response against the virus, it may be advisable to also carry out an antibody or serological test.
The cumulative incidence of coronavirus has fallen below one thousand cases (984) per 100,000 inhabitants, a figure that has not been seen since December 23, the eve of the Christmas holidays. The number of deaths this Thursday is again high, 360, and a progressive decline in hospital occupancy continues.
The incidence of coronavirus cases falls below a thousand cases, figures prior to Christmas. EFE / Orlando Barría
This sixth wave, which began in early November, gained strength in December with the arrival of the omicron variant and skyrocketed at Christmas, reaching the peak and record for the entire pandemic on Friday, January 21, with 3,418 cases per 1,000,000.
Almost a month later, the curve has dropped rapidly and the 14-day cumulative incidence drops from 1,000 cases this Thursday, 984 compared to 1,060 yesterday.
The autonomous community with the highest incidence is Galicia (1,575) and the lowest is Andalusia with 473.
The incidence is low in all age brackets. The group from 12 to 19 years old is in the lead with 1,451 cases, followed by those under 11 with 1,307.
Deaths: 360 more
The Ministry of Health Today, it has notified 360 more deaths, a figure that is still high (yesterday 444) and many of them correspond to delayed notifications by the autonomous communities.
The total number of deaths since records are available in this pandemic is 97,710 and the lethality is 0.9%.
The infections: 34,210
Coronavirus infections continue to decline and the latest report shows 34,213 (53,055 last Thursday).
The daily record of positives in this sixth wave was reached on Thursday, January 13, with 179,125.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Ministry of Health has recorded 10,778,607 coronavirus infections in Spain.
Steady drop in hospital occupancy
The ICUs go from high to medium risk, having an occupation of 14.48% with 1,351 patients, 28 less since yesterday.
Above the very high risk of occupation (25%) are still critical units in Catalonia (28.18%).
In Spanish hospitals, on the ward and ICU, there are 10,251 covid patients (8.25% occupancy, low risk), 647 fewer patients than yesterday.
In total there are 38,396,333 citizens, 91% of the population over 12 years of age, with the complete schedule of the covid vaccine.
In addition, 23.6 million people have already received the booster dose, 78.6% of those over 40 years of age, 39.3% of those between 30 and 39 years of age and 29.3% of those between 20 and 29. years.
56.7% of children aged 5 to 11 years (1.8 million out of 3.2 million) have received the first dose of the vaccine since the campaign began on December 15 and the first are already being inoculated with the second doses after the 8-week interval.
This Tuesday, 34,380 coronavirus infections have been reported, one of the lowest figures since mid-December when the omicron variant was already beginning to increase the number of positives. The number of deaths remains high, 310 more since yesterday, and hospital pressure continues to decline.
Several people wait their turn at the WiZink Center to get vaccinated without an appointment. EFE/Miguel Osés
The sixth wave has been the one with the highest number of infections since December. On Thursday, January 13, the daily record for positives was reached, 179,125.
It did not drop below 35,000 daily since Friday, December 17, when more than 33,000 were reported and from then on the rise of the wave was more evident due to the effect of the omicron variant
Since the start of the pandemic, the Ministry of Health has recorded 10,707,286 coronavirus infections in Spain.
The positivity rate of diagnostic tests continues to drop to 26.85% (27.66 yesterday).
The incidence: More than 100 points down
The cumulative incidence 14 days later it falls 102 points from yesterday to 1,142 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Most regions are in the decline phase and between 1,000 and 2,000 cases per 100,000. Those with the highest incidence are Galicia (1,790); Murcia (1,669); Valencia (1,605) and Cantabria (1,602).
At the other extreme, below 1,000, Andalusia stands out with 511 cases; Canary Islands with 544; Melilla with 776; Madrid with 835 cases, Castilla-La Mancha with 859 and Ceuta with 906, according to data released this Tuesday by the Ministry of Health.
For age bracketsthe incidence falls in all groups and for the first time in weeks that of those under 11 years of age, whose incidence has skyrocketed in this sixth wave as they are not yet largely vaccinated, is placed behind those between 12 and 19 years with an incidence of 1,604 versus 1,676.
Deaths: 310 more
On the other hand, deaths continue to show high figures in part due to the delay of some communities in providing the data.
Yesterday the highest number of deaths was recorded after a weekend of this sixth wave, 601. And this Tuesday there are 301 more deaths.
The total number of deaths from this pandemic since records are available is 96,906 (9,989 in the sixth wave that began on October 14) and the lethality is 0.9%.
Lower blood pressure in hospitals
The ICUs are at 15.6% bed occupancy with 1,459 patients, 63 fewer since yesterday.
Above the very high risk of occupation (25%) are still the critical units of Catalonia (30.2%) and Aragon (26.2%).
In Spanish hospitals, on the ward and ICU, there are 11,438 covid patients (9.2% occupancy), 732 fewer patients than yesterday.
In total there are 38,385,465 citizens, 91% of the population over 12 years of age, with the full schedule of the covid vaccine.
In addition, 23.3 million people have already received the booster dose, 78.3% of those over 40 years of age, 38.2% of those between 30 and 39 years of age and 27.5% of those between 20 and 29. years.
56.4% of children aged 5 to 11 years (1.8 million out of 3.2 million) have received the first dose of the vaccine since the campaign began on December 15 and the first are already being inoculated with the second doses after the 8-week interval.
