The epidemiological picture of Europe is worrying again, which in the last week has recorded a growth in new cases of Covid-19 greater than expected in nine countries – Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom e Spain – while for deaths the variation compared to expectations is much more contained. The confirmation comes from the latest forecast tables of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (Ecdc).
In many European countries the descending curve of infections has therefore reversed, probably due to the circulation of the Delta variant, which in the whole of the Old Continent is preparing to take over the Alfa variant, currently the most widespread. According to the estimates of the Covid forecasting center of the ECDC, between 26 June and 3 July in Spain there should have been 21,743 cases, instead there were more than double, 51,405. In Belgium, the forecasts of the ECDC gave 1,960 new cases for the same week, there were over 4 thousand. On the other hand, the situation of deaths remains stable overall: in Spain 13 more in a week than expected, in Italy 26 more, in Belgium 8 less.
Loading…
United Kingdom: over 28 thousand new infections, a record since January
In the United Kingdom, where infections have started to rise again since the last week of May, the deaths between the end of June and the beginning of July were 118 instead of the estimated 164. But across the Channel, confirmed cases have increased from about 2,000 per day at the beginning of this year to 25,000 in the last week, up to a new peak of over 28,700 infections on 6 July, as had not happened since the second half of January. on nearly 1.2 million tampons. The number of deaths, on the other hand, remained substantially stable, at less than 20. On the increase, but in a much lower proportion due to the effect of vaccinations, the total number of hospitalizations in hospitals (returned to over 2,200) and the daily deaths, arrived to 37. The premier, Boris Johnson, however, confirmed the planned stop to the anti-Coronavirus restrictions starting from 19 July.
Soaring in Spain, close to the nightlife in Catalonia
Heralded by the maxi outbreak among students on a year-end trip to Mallorca on June 27, one of the countries where there is a surge in new cases is Spain, with over 32 thousand new cases since Friday 2 July, with an increase in 85% compared to last weekend. The Delta variant that is particularly affecting young people: the infection rate among people aged between 20 and 29 in the last 14 days is 640 per 100 thousand people, three times higher than the national average. Countermeasures are in sight: from this weekend in Catalonia discos and other nightclubs will remain closed and it will be necessary to present a negative test result or be vaccinated to participate in outdoor events with more than 500 people.
The Catalan government’s goal is to curb the exponential increase in Covid infections in recent days, especially among young people. “The epidemiological situation in Catalonia is extremely complicated,” stressed a spokesperson. According to official data, the Delta variant already represents about 20% of positive cases diagnosed in some regions of Spain, while the national average is around 10.8%. According to the latest update of the Ministry of Health in Spain, 40.3% of the population has already completed the anti-Covid vaccination cycle (19 million), while 26.5 million (55.9% of the population) are vaccinated with at least one dose.