Overview
- National surveillance (SiVIRA) reports 170.4 flu cases per 100,000 inhabitants, a 42% weekly rise, with rates doubling in ages 1–4 and nearly tripling in infants under 1, alongside a modest uptick in hospital admissions.
- Hospital pressure is mounting, with union reports of patients on corridor beds, waits of up to 14 hours for an emergency bed and up to three days for a ward admission in parts of Andalucía, and primary care delays reaching 10–15 days in some regions.
- Catalonia has logged severe strain at pediatric services, including up to eight-hour waits at Sant Joan de Déu and corridor beds at Hospital del Mar, while Asturias and other areas report record emergency volumes.
- Hospitals are expanding capacity, including 40 extra beds at Vigo’s Álvaro Cunqueiro and reactivated wings at Meixoeiro, and regions are rolling out winter reinforcement hiring; Madrid is also using the Zendal hospital for walk-in flu vaccination.
- The Commission of Public Health approved a common protocol recommending masks for symptomatic people and in health and residential settings, as vaccination gaps persist in places like Córdoba where only 54% of residents aged 60+ are vaccinated, and Madrid officials dispute union claims of saturation.