The epidemic of respiratory viruses (flu, covid and RSV) that threatens to collapse health centers and hospitals (they have already collapsed in many regions) has caused Catalonia, Valencia (since yesterday) and Murcia (as of today) require the use of masks when accessing a healthcare facility (health centers and hospitals). Laque symbolizes the pandemic returns to the lives of citizens as the best instrument to fight viruses, especially the flu, which threaten not only the lives of citizens, but also the health system, which, as usual, is not prepared (inexplicably) for the arrival of these seasonal viruses.
After all, what was experienced during the pandemic, the mask and hygiene measures, are once again becoming the lifesaver to fight viruses. And also vaccines, even if this year's campaign went worse than expected, with coverage far from the 75% proposed by the health authorities.
The tiredness of citizens in the face of these measures or the inferior interest in raising awareness of the health authorities, added to the, again, lack of foresight in the face of the triple epidemic that winter has brought are the cause of the images that are being seen these days in health centers and hospital emergency rooms and which, inevitably, cause deaths (the three viruses cause the increases in winter mortality).
Given the situation, although without the authority provided by the pandemic, the Ministry of Health, with Mónica García at the head, has convened an extraordinary plenary for Monday to analyze the situation, see the incidences (Castilla-La Mancha is at the top, with more than 1,700 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) and try to reach a consensus on measurements on a national scale, although there are differences between territories (the Canary Islands, for example, have a low incidence of the three viruses).
García will propose the mandatory use of masks in health centers and in residences for the elderly and people with disabilities throughout Spain, as he announced yesterday. It is only a proposal, since Health cannot impose anything, since it is the communities that have the powers in this matter.
Autonomous sources confirmed to La Vanguardia that they will support the measure, which will be temporary until the epidemic subsides (the peak is expected at the end of next week and will not begin to subside until the third week of January) .
The Health proposal (criticized by Madrid, which a few days earlier criticized Health for not doing anything, even though the distribution of beds and health personnel, as well as vaccination campaigns, are its competence) has the support of family doctors and of the Collegiate Medical Organization (OMC), which just yesterday pointed out that it was the best weapon against respiratory viruses.
The cumulative incidence of acute respiratory infection is on a sustained rise and reaches 953 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Spain as a whole. The positivity for sentinel samples taken in primary care is 46% for influenza, 10% for covid and another 10% for RSV. "These data show that we are in the midst of a flu epidemic, as has not been seen since before the pandemic, a situation that is straining the entire National Health System. The covid pandemic demonstrated the objective need for a complete regeneration of some essential aspects of our health system, especially the human resources policy, both healthcare and dedicated to epidemiological surveillance and disease prevention, that is to say, of preventive medicine, a subject that is still pending today", point out the representatives of the doctors.
García will also propose on Monday to draw up a strategy for the respiratory viruses of the next season (for the current one there is not much that can be done, except to have more beds and hire professionals), something that, today and despite what was experienced with covid, it continues to be undone.
