Only a third of Valles Oriental's population was vaccinated on Tuesday against influenza and Covid-19, according to data from the state's Information System for Infection Surveillance in Catalonia (SIVIC).
Specifically, 156,752 influenza vaccinations were administered, representing 34.9% of the region's vaccinable population. In the case of the coronavirus, 49,719 vaccines have been administered, equivalent to 29.3% of the population that can be vaccinated. These numbers are slightly lower than those in Catalonia as a whole, where 36.9% of the population has been vaccinated against influenza and 30.9% against Covid-19.
According to health workers, the fact that a large portion of the population has not been vaccinated was one of the factors that led to an increase in cases of respiratory infections. However, sources from the Catalan Institute of Health (ICS) indicate that the situation in Primary Care Centers (CAP) is usual every year on these dates, and that the increase in emergency cases has been able to attend through the protocols expected within the PIUC (Integrated Emergency Plan of Catalonia). . There was no need to neglect the rest of the emergencies either.
“Between January 1 and 7 we detected a significant increase in respiratory infections. But we are not talking about exorbitant numbers, but rather about a rise similar to the one that existed on the same dates before the pandemic,” confirms the director of CUAP in Granollers, Montsi Torrent Senca, in statements to EL. 9 NOU. “After the pandemic, there was a certain relaxation in vaccination. As the number of people vaccinated decreased, infections became less common. But the numbers are the same as they were before the pandemic.”
“The most common infection this year is influenza, followed by rhinovirus, Covid, and syncytial virus,” Torrent said. To all this we must add an increase in the number of pneumonia cases diagnosed in the CUAP itself. “The numbers are higher than in previous months, but they are also in line with what is usual every year on these dates. “The numbers are the same as before the pandemic,” explains the director. The Ministry of Health has not specified the number of services provided by the emergency services in Valles Orientale during the influenza epidemic. .
A CUAP typically has two doctors and three nurses during the day, and two doctors and two nurses during the night shift. Following the respiratory virus epidemic, the center was reinforced this January with two more professionals, one in the medical field and the other in nursing. “During the first and second weeks of January, it is common for us to deal with more cases of this type, and the protocol already foresees the possibility of hiring more staff,” notes the CUAP Director.
This reinforcement of health workers is one of the expected protocols within PIUC, which also anticipates the possibility of enabling more emergency beds if the situation requires it. “Right now we can manage the situation with the resources we have. We have the staff we need, and we also have the medical equipment we need.
In addition, the opening of the new CUAP almost three years ago also plays in our favor because we have a more convenient space when working. We have been able to deal with the increase in respiratory emergencies and continue to care for the remaining cases.”
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