Epidemiologist, researcher at the Department of Preventive Medicine, Public Health, Food Sciences, Toxicology and Legal Medicine, University of Valencia and president of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology.
Research led by ISGlobal has analysed more than 11 million hospital admissions in 48 Spanish provinces during the months of June to September between 2006 and 2019. The results, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, show that high temperatures increase admissions for obesity-related issues and renal and urinary insufficiency, among other causes.
A study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives has analysed hospital admissions in 48 Spanish provinces during the months of June to September between 2006 and 2019. Its results, discussed at a briefing organised by Science Media Centre Spain, show that high temperatures increase admissions for issues related to obesity and renal and urinary insufficiency, among other causes.
From May to August 2022, 157,580 deaths were recorded, 20.5% more than in the same months of 2019, before covid. This increase in mortality was mainly among people aged 75 years and older. Of the causes of death directly related to the heat, heat stroke and dehydration stood out. These are some of the provisional data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE) in relation to deaths in 2022. Covid-19 was the most frequent cause of death, with 31,559 people dying, 20% less than in 2021.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Emergency Committee met on 4 May to assess whether covid-19 could continue to be considered a health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). The organisation's director general, Tedros Adhanom, has followed its recommendation and ended the emergency declared on 30 January 2020. "It is with great hope that I declare that covid-19 has ended as a global health emergency. However, this does not mean that covid-19 is no longer a threat to global health. Last week, it claimed one life every three minutes, and that's just the deaths we know about," he told a press conference.
The current government delegate in Galicia, José Manuel Miñones Conde, will be the new Minister of Health, as announced on Monday by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, from La Moncloa. Miñones replaces Carolina Darias, head of the PSOE list in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the elections on 28 May. Sánchez has also announced that Héctor Gómez, former PSOE parliamentary spokesman, will be the new Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, replacing Reyes Maroto, the PSOE's candidate for mayor of Madrid.
The Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, announced today at a press conference that in view of the increase in cases of covid-19 in China following the end of the covid zero policy, Spanish airports are going to require passengers arriving from that country to take a negative test for covid-19 or a complete vaccination schedule. The first flight affected by health control measures will arrive at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport at 18:00 on 31 December.
This week the National Statistics Institute (INE) shared the final figures for deaths by cause of death for the year 2021: 39,444 people died from identified covid-19, 34.6% less than in 2020. It also offered preliminary data for the first six months of 2022.
The Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, today announced that face masks will no longer be compulsory indoors after Easter. The measure will come into force on 20 April. It will continue to be compulsory in public transport, health centres and residences, but the final details of the new scenario are not yet known.
In the covid-19 pandemic, there is no evidence to justify closing classrooms to interrupt transmission and protect the health of children. On the other hand, there is evidence of the harm caused to them by dropping out of school.
In recent days, several countries have modified the quarantine times for close contacts and the isolation of infected people, while others are already considering it. Spain has announced that it will reduce these periods to 7 days, both for people who have tested positive in a test and for close contacts who require quarantine (in the case of our country, unvaccinated people).