Health

Spain reaches epidemic levels of respiratory infections due to rise in Covid-19 cases

The number of cases of coronavirus, flu and bronchiolitis stands at 478, above the 400-case threshold that marks the start of an epidemic

Start of the Covid-19 and flu vaccination campaign in Pontevedra. (EFE)

Madrid

02/10/2026 Actualizado a las 13:44h.

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) have already reached epidemic levels in Spain, primarily due to the sharp rise in cases of Covid-19 and bronchiolitis, according ... to the weekly report from the Carlos III institute. The rate of respiratory viruses reached 478.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants between 21 and 27 September, well above the 373 the previous week and also above the 400 mark, which marks the start of an epidemic.

Estimates put the total incidence of Covid-19 at 119.2 cases, compared with 92.6 in the previous week. The rate of positive test results stands at 4.1 per cent for flu, 27.2 per cent for SARS-CoV-2 and 0.2 per cent for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes bronchiolitis.

- Malaga province starts flu and coronavirus vaccinations this Thursday, 1 October
José Antonio Sau

Confirmed coronavirus cases have risen significantly over the last seven days, from 21.6 cases to 29.4 cases in the latest report. Even more significant has been the rise in cases of bronchitis and bronchiolitis in children under the age of five, which have risen from 104.3 cases to 194.3. The figures for flu are more encouraging: although there has also been an increase (from 13.9 cases to 16.9), it remains below epidemic levels.

With this level of infections, the hospitalisation rate for Covid-19 stands at 1.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Among those admitted, 22.5 per cent have suffered from pneumonia, 4.3 per cent have been treated in the intensive care unit and the case fatality rate stands at 8.7 per cent.

As for flu cases, the hospitalisation rate stands at 0.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, with 27.3 per cent of cases developing pneumonia, 4.7 per cent admitted to the ICU and a case fatality rate of 7.3 per cent.

The MoMo (daily mortality monitoring system) recorded 8,137 deaths in the last week, 432 more than the expected figure of 7,705.

XFG variant

The rise in Covid-19 is due to the spread of the XFG variant, which appears to be the dominant strain this season. It already accounts for 55 per cent of all infections, according to the sequencing of samples in primary care.

XFG is a recombinant strain resulting from the genetic combination of two previous Omicron sublineages (LF.7 and LP.8.1.2).

The WHO (World Health Organization) warns that XFG is spreading worldwide, although epidemiological studies indicate that the risk to public health is low. This variant has high transmissibility and moderate immune evasion, but does not cause more severe clinical symptoms or higher mortality compared with previous variants, according to reports. Furthermore, vaccines are proving effective against this variant.

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