Irish holidaymakers will be heading off to Spain over the coming weeks, as school holidays finally kick in.
But a new wave of Covid may cause problems for people as infections rise in holiday hotspots across Europe. There has been a huge jump in infections over the past seven days, with Spain reporting 16,917 new cases on average each day.
The areas with the highest infection rates included Madrid, the Canary Islands and La Rioja, according to the Irish Mirror. Experts have warned that Spain is now in the thick of its seventh wave of the virus, although “almost no patients are admitted to the ICU anymore”.
Read more: Health experts warn of another Covid wave as hospitals under pressure
The head of Internal Medicine at the Infanta Leonor Hospital, Dr June Torres, said: “We are in full swing and we won’t reach the peak for three weeks.”
The current wave in Spain is said to mainly affect older people, especially those over 80 with pre-existing health conditions. Dr Torres said those who are vulnerable “have to continue protecting themselves” as “the pandemic is not over”.
There are currently over 8,000 patients being treated for Covid in hospitals throughout Spain. Occupation of beds and ICU places have also seen a slight increase.
Holidaymakers have been urged to remain vigilant as most Covid patients will present with mild or no symptoms, which has led to people not being as careful as they should be.
The expert warned that the two new strains of Omicron, BA.4 and BA.5, which have caused the current wave in Spain, are continuously changing, and so health measures such as washing hands must be maintained.
According to Spain’s Ministry of Health, no difference in severity has been noted in the new strains. However, a slight increase in hospital occupancy was recorded in the latest data.
Read next:
- Professor Luke O'Neill says it is 'likely' new Omicron vaccine could be given with flu jab
- HSE chief warns masks could be made mandatory again
- Spain holiday spots that locals want to keep a secret from Irish tourists
- How to easily spot Irish tourists on holidays
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