Lanzarote and La Graciosa will continue at alert level 2 for Covid for another week, as agreed this Thursday by the Ministry of Health. As for the rest of the islands, all remain unchanged except for Gran Canaria, which drops to level 3 "due to the improvement of its indicators".
In this way, Tenerife continues at alert level 4; Fuerteventura at level 3; La Palma at level 2 together with Lanzarote and La Gomera and El Hierro at level 1. The change of level in Gran Canaria will take effect from midnight this Thursday to Friday.
Although only Gran Canaria has dropped in level, the Ministry of Health highlights the downward trend of all pandemic indicators both in the Canary Islands as a whole and in each of the islands. In this regard, it points out that the average of the accumulated incidence rate at seven days in the whole of the Autonomous Community and in the islands has decreased by 34% compared to the previous week, which corroborates the descending evolution of this indicator, going from a daily average of 139.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants to 92.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants this week.
In the report of the General Directorate of Public Health on which the Ministry bases its decision, it is also highlighted that between August 18 and 24, 1,771 cases have been reported, which represents a decrease in the daily average of the number of cases reported around 29% in relation to the previous week. According to reports, all the islands have followed this pattern except Fuerteventura, which has remained stable this week.
With regard to the accumulated incidence rates at seven days in the population of 65 years and older, a decrease is observed both in the whole of the Autonomous Community (medium risk in the last two days) and in each island. In Tenerife the rate is at high risk, in Gran Canaria it oscillates between high and medium, in Fuerteventura it is at medium risk and in the rest of the islands the level is low or very low.
With regard to the characterization of the variants that are circulating in the Canary Islands, according to the data of the last epidemiological week it is estimated that 86.3% are probable Delta (B.1.617.2), 1.5% Alpha (B.1.1.7) and 0.2 Beta (B.1.351)/Gamma (P1) .
Hospital occupancy
Regarding the number of conventional beds occupied by Covid-19 patients, the Ministry points out that it is decreasing in the islands. In the Autonomous Community as a whole, the daily average has gone from 291 occupied beds to 256 and the percentage of occupancy is at low or very low risk in all the islands except Tenerife, which is at medium risk.
It is also highlighted that the number of occupied ICU beds has initiated a "slight change" of sign in its evolution with respect to the previous week, in which an increase persisted in relation to the previous weeks. In the Community as a whole, the average has gone from 106 occupied ICU beds to 97 on average in the last week. In Tenerife the decrease is five beds on average and in Gran Canaria four compared to the previous week. In Fuerteventura there are four people in ICU and in Lanzarote there is one bed occupied and another admission in this unit, while in the rest of the islands there are no patients in ICU.
With regard to the indicator, the percentage of ICU occupancy, it is at very high risk in Tenerife and at high risk in Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and the Autonomous Community as a whole. In the rest of the islands, this indicator is at very low risk.
The report of the General Directorate of Public Health states that "it must be taken into account that in this fifth wave a greater risk of infection was attributed to young people" but that "however, the passage of weeks and the limitations imposed on non-pharmacological containment measures, contributed to the infection spreading to the environments of family, work and social coexistence of other age groups".
"At first, the average age of people admitted to conventional beds and ICU decreased and people of younger age had to be assisted in hospitals. This pattern is what was observed in recent weeks. Now, after the older age groups have been exposed and affected, and in full decline of the incidence rate, although it is still at high risk, the median age of patients in hospitals has increased”, it is pointed out.
In this regard, the Ministry of Health indicates that the average age of all people hospitalized for CovidD-19 in the last 15 days is 63 years and in ICU it is 58 years. In addition, 20% of those admitted to ICU in the last 15 days are between 12 and 39 years old. It is also highlighted that of the 198 people admitted to conventional beds in the last two weeks, 57% were not immunized, a figure that in the case of those admitted to ICU rises to 77%.
Deaths
Regarding the number of daily deaths, it is recalled that it has been increasing since the last week of July, so that, in the Autonomous Community as a whole, the daily average of deaths in the week between July 21 and 27 was two deaths; the week between July 28 and August 3 was three; between August 4 and 10 the daily average was four exitus (26 deaths in total); and the week of August 11 to 17 the average was daily deaths, with August 12 registering the highest figure: eight deaths. In this last week the daily average has returned to three deaths with a total of 24 deaths registered in these last 7 days, four less than the previous week.
