The Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands has announced the mandatory use of masks in all health centers of the Archipelago, despite the fact that the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System agreed this Tuesday to extend the decision on a general decision in all regions to Wednesday.
With this measure, the Canary Islands joins other autonomous communities in which the mandatory use of masks in health centers has already been decreed. Until now, the use of masks was a recommendation for use in all centers of the Canarian Health Service since mid-December and is now mandatory.
The rule, which is temporary while the epidemic peak of influenza and coronavirus infections lasts, will affect peripheral offices, health centers and public and private hospitals throughout the Canary Islands.
This measure is taken given the increase in acute respiratory infections throughout Spain and to try to stop the chain of infections, in addition to protecting health professionals and people who go to hospitals and health centers in the archipelago to prevent them from contracting a respiratory infection.
In addition, during this morning's telematic meeting, the Canary Islands advocated agreeing on a respiratory infection prevention strategy to avoid situations of health tension in the coming flu seasons.
Protection measures
From the Ministry of Health, and as a complement to the mandatory use of masks in hospitals and health centers, the population is also urged to maintain the necessary protection measures in case of presenting symptoms compatible with the flu or covid-19 to avoid putting the most vulnerable population at risk of contagion.
In this sense, it is recalled that if symptoms such as cough, fever, general malaise, sore throat, congestion and nasal discharge, among others, occur, and to avoid the transmission of the virus to other people, the main recommended preventive measures are:
- Wear a mask when sharing space with other people.
- Increase the ventilation of the rooms.
- Perform hand hygiene frequently, especially after blowing your nose or coughing.
- Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing with your arm or with a tissue.
- Use disposable tissues, throwing them away after each use.
- Avoid close contact with vulnerable people.
- Do not share glasses, cutlery, towels and other objects that may have been in contact with saliva or secretions.
Vaccination recommendation
The General Directorate of Public Health also recalls the importance of vaccination against influenza and covid-19 as the main tool to prevent serious cases of these infections in case of contagion and avoids the coexistence of the two infections in the same person, minimizing the severity of the disease in the patient and the stress on the health system.
In addition, it is insisted that the vaccine is the most effective means to avoid contracting or transmitting the flu, especially in those people who are at risk of suffering complications in case of suffering the disease and in the personnel that is essential for the community such as health personnel and caregivers of the elderly or dependents.
Each year, vaccination recommendations against influenza are established in autumn-winter for those population groups with a higher risk of complications in case of suffering the infection, and in people who can transmit the disease to others who have a high risk of complications.
The objective of vaccination against coronavirus is to reinforce the protection of the most vulnerable people and that of health and social health personnel to reduce morbidity and mortality from the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the impact of this disease on the capacity of health and social health care.
Incidence of influenza in the Canary Islands
According to the acute respiratory infection (ARI) surveillance report in the Canary Islands prepared by the General Directorate of Public Health of the SCS corresponding to the week of December 25 to 31, the incidence rate of ARIs is 1,254.72 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This figure represents a small decrease compared to the previous week, when a rate of 1,296.78 cases per 100,000 inhabitants was recorded.
The age groups that present a higher incidence in this last week are the population from 0 to 4 years with 4,408 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, people over 79 years, who present a rate of 1,435 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and the population from 5 to 14, a group that has a rate of 1,600 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
