The Government will request judicial ratification from the TSJC so that the use of the ‘Covid certificate’ is mandatory
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, December 16 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Governing Council of the Canary Islands has approved this Thursday, at the proposal of the Ministry of Health, raising the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria to epidemiological alert level 3 and La Palma to level 2.
This has been explained at a press conference by the Deputy Minister of the Presidency, Antonio Olivera, who has detailed that the health situation is of “special concern” on the island of Tenerife, which this Thursday has registered 1,000 cases and accumulates 65 of the 78 cases of the omicron variant in the archipelago.
The level change will take effect at 00.00 this Saturday and Fuerteventura remains at level 3 and the islands of Lanzarote, La Gomera and El Hierro at level 1.
Due to this change, in Tenerife and Gran Canaria, plus Fuerteventura, the meetings are fixed in maximum groups of six people, the closing of the premises is stipulated at 02.00 hours and the capacity is reduced to 50% outdoors and 33% indoors , except in hospitality, where they reach 75% and 40% respectively.
In addition, it is advisable to postpone mass events or they will be held, if they obtain authorization, with a maximum of 1,000 people and public transport is kept at 100% capacity because it is considered not a first-order place for infections.
However, the Government of the Canary Islands recalls that adequate ventilation and air renewal of vehicles must be guaranteed, as well as the rest of the general measures for the prevention and control of the transmission of the coronavirus and the specific measures established for transport. terrestrial public of travelers.
It is also recommended to increase the frequency of schedules as much as possible to guarantee the lowest possible occupancy.
RISE OF 43% IN ONE WEEK
In the entire territory of the Autonomous Community, between December 7 and 13, 3,616 new cases of COVID-19 were reported, which represents an increase of 43.7% in the daily average of new cases in relation to the last week.
The 7-day AI rate in the Canary Islands as a whole increased by 43.8%, so that, from a weekly average of 115.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, it went to 166.2 cases this week and the greatest increase was Observe on the island of Tenerife.
Most of the islands are at a medium risk level, except Tenerife and Gran Canaria, which are at a high risk level, and Fuerteventura at a very high risk level.
The 7-day AI in people over 65 is at high risk in Gran Canaria and Tenerife; very high in Fuerteventura; at medium risk in Lanzarote, La Palma and La Gomera, and in controlled circulation in El Hierro
The 14-day AI rate increases, to a greater or lesser extent, in all the islands and remains at medium risk, except for Fuerteventura and El Hierro, which are at a very high risk level, the first of these islands, and in controlled circulation, the second.
Regarding healthcare indicators, the daily average of conventional hospital beds occupied during the last week by COVID-19 patients increased by 13% compared to the previous week, with an average of 261 beds occupied.
In most of the islands, the percentage of occupation is at a low risk level, except in Gran Canaria, which is at medium risk, and Lanzarote and El Hierro, which are at very low risk.
OCCUPANCY IN ICUs GROWS
The number of occupied ICU beds maintains the upward trend that began four weeks ago, increasing by 26.1 percent compared to the previous evaluation.
In the Autonomous Community as a whole, it has gone from an average of 46 ICU beds occupied two weeks ago to 58 in the last week, with an occupancy percentage of 11.6% and medium risk. Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura are at medium risk level, La Palma at low risk, and Lanzarote, La Gomera and El Hierro, in controlled circulation.
Likewise, the median age of all people hospitalized for COVID-19 in the last 30 days is 67 years.
56.9% of the people admitted to critical care units diagnosed during the last 30 days had not received the complete vaccination schedule.
65.3% of the people admitted for COVID and diagnosed in the last 30 days had no previous pathologies. This percentage increases in unvaccinated patients, in whom 77.5% had no other known pathologies.
In addition, among unvaccinated people diagnosed in the last 30 days, there have been twice more admissions to the ICU than among those vaccinated and the cumulative incidence rate of COVID-19 cases in the last week is 1.66 times higher in the population that has not received any dose of vaccine compared to the rate in the population that has received the full regimen.
MORE LEISURE AND RELAXATION
Olivera has commented that for now there is no “high” hospital pressure but has not hidden that the evolution of Covid-19 indicates that there will be more bed occupancy in a couple of weeks.
The Executive attributes the increase in cases, which have grown “sharply”, to a “notable increase” in mobility and leisure coinciding with the December bridge, the “relaxation” of the population derived from the extension of vaccination and the appearance of the Ómicron variant, especially in Tenerife.
“Fortunately, its consequences are not so intense but it is a very contagious variant and it can end up reaching a vulnerable population, causing admissions to the ICU and deaths of people,” he pointed out.
Olivera has commented that the highest incidence of infections is among those under 12 years of age – unvaccinated group – and the group of 20-29 years, where the complete pattern is not very widespread.
The vice-counselor has also announced that the Minister of Health, Blas Trujillo, is entrusted to request judicial endorsement from the TSJC so that the ‘Covid certificate’ can be established in a mandatory way – until now it is voluntary – in activities that generate risk epidemiological, protected by the situation of other autonomous communities, European countries and the recent position of the Supreme Court.
In addition, it has indicated that Christmas events are suspended in educational centers although classes will continue with their calendar until the holidays since classrooms are considered as “safe spaces” and that they have helped to contain the spread of the virus.
