Canary Islands has remained in the last year as one of the communities with fewer cases of Covid in relation to its population, but that trend has changed with the containment of the third wave. Just a few weeks ago, the archipelago was the region with the fewest cases in Spain, and now, however, it exceeds the national average.
Specifically, the average incidence at 7 days in Spain stands this Tuesday at 59.92 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while in the Canary Islands it is at 66.9. Twelve communities, such as Valencia (with 16.97), Balearic Islands (18.67), Castilla La Mancha (32.22), Galicia (35.30) and Andalusia (54.72) are well below that figure, while only four are above: Catalonia (with 68.60), Asturias (79.68), the Basque Country (89) and Madrid (109).
As for the incidence at 14 days, the Canary Islands is still slightly below the average, but that could change shortly if the trend of the last week is maintained. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, the average accumulated incidence in Spain in 14 days is 127 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and in the Canary Islands at 124.64.
The reason for this change in the Covid map of Spain is the drastic drop that the rest of the communities have achieved, while Canary Islands has not joined that decrease and even continues to suffer slight rebounds. The archipelago has never reached the figures that have been given in the rest of the Peninsula, but it continues to move in similar figures after the passage of the waves of Covid.
The inverse case of Lanzarote
After Christmas, it was Lanzarote that suffered the most critical situation, which did have data similar to those of the most affected areas of Spain. However, the situation in the archipelago has also changed radically.
It was not until last Friday when Lanzarote lowered from level 3 to level 2, but for three weeks it already had better indicators than most of the islands of the archipelago, with the exception of the occupancy in the ICU. However, that has also been reversed and the data continues to worsen in Fuerteventura, Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
The incidence figures are not those that occurred in Lanzarote in the worst moments, but they have triggered several alarms. In fact, both Fuerteventura and Tenerife have indicators to be currently at alert level 3 (according to the criteria set by the Interterritorial Council of Health), and even Fuerteventura is dangerously close to those of level 4. Since this Monday, both entered a "reinforced level 2", with additional measures to those currently held by Lanzarote, but without reaching the restrictions implied by alert 3, such as the perimeter closure of the island.
Three islands with the ICU at high risk and Fuerteventura at maximum risk
In the case of Fuerteventura, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Health, it has two indicators at maximum risk (equivalent to alert level 4 if there are three in that range) and two others at high risk (equivalent to alert level 3). The first are the occupancy of the ICU and the incidence in people over 65 years in 7 days and the second the accumulated incidence at 7 days and the incidence in older than 14 days.
Tenerife, on the other hand, does not have any at very high risk, but it does have four at high risk (with three it is enough to raise the level). One of them is the incidence at 7 days, which is currently the highest in the archipelago. The other two are those of the incidence in the elderly and that of the occupancy in the ICU.
In addition, the red light of occupancy in the ICU has also been turned on on the island of La Palma. For its part, Lanzarote has lowered its risk level in this indicator in the latest report from the Ministry of Health, and is now at medium risk in terms of hospital pressure in the ICU. However, now it is the average of the Canary Islands that is at high risk.
Regarding the incidence, it stands this Friday in Lanzarote at 28.89 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 7 days, while in Gran Canaria it is at 65.2, in Fuertentura at 77 and in Tenerife at 78.44.
