Covid-19 and flu patient spikes recorded in Malaga and Costa del Sol hospitals during summer

The Junta de Andalucía's flu vaccination campaign began on Tuesday this week. More than 300,000 people will be immunised in Malaga and the province in the coming weeks. In addition, those over the age of 70 will receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Doctors recommend an increase in vaccination, especially against the flu and in some sections of the population where the percentage of immunised individuals is "mediocre".

The truth is that both the coronavirus and the flu now spread throughout the year in Malaga province. The viruses have generated peaks in hospital admissions during the past summer: first, between June and July and then, during the two weeks after the Malaga fair in August.

The patient profile mostly hospitalised in Malaga's main public hospitals - the Clínico and Regional - this summer concerns people with heart, kidney, respiratory or other pre-existing pathologies. It is more unusual for people to be hospitalised for the flu during the summer, but this year seems to have been different.

Why does this happen? Head of the college of Malaga doctors Dr Pedro Navarro says that one of the reasons is tourism. Visitors, especially those from northern countries (Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries), where vaccination rates are lower, bring new strains of the flu that are not common in Malaga. Globalisation increases infections.

Another reason, Dr Navarro points out, is that the virus mutates year after year and "the previous year's vaccines do not have specific antibodies for the new strains". In addition, new strains adapt to the climate, making Covid-19, for example, "no longer a seasonal virus". The good news is that subsequent serotypes are "less aggresive" than the first ones. Nonetheless, vaccination is still crucial and certain groups, such as children, for example, do not meet the desired threshold of 80% to 90% coverage. All of this creates a complicated cocktail to manage. Dr Navarro, however, assures the public that these are isolated outbreaks.

Experts state that the flu virus is not as deseasonalised as the coronavirus.

Ana Bernad is a GP at Hospital HM Santa Elena. She notes the increase of patients she has treated for the flu this summer, agreeing with Dr Navarro that the Costa del Sol is prone to receiving infections from across the border. The main virus in September was Covid-19. It is not only that vaccination in northern countries is lower - Spain has also registered a drop in immunisation recently. In addition, people do not use masks and other preventive measures as much as they did when the Covid-19 pandemic was at its height.

Spokesperson for primary care at the college of physicians and GPs Dr Mariló Padial confirms an increase in flu infections this summer, but she warns that the virus is still seasonal. According to her, time is needed to observe the data.

Head of the public health and pharmaceutical organisation of the Andalusian regional government Manuel Fernández Zurbarán says that although the flu is the strongest in autumn and winter, it does circulate throughout the whole year. He points out that the strains of the virus that have been recorded this summer are influenza A, subtype H3, and H1-N1. However, summer circulation, with "a slight peak" this year, has been no cause for concern. The virus is starting to peak now, as the autumn progresses. Dr Fernández Zurbarán states that summer outbreaks might lead to hospitalisation mostly in the older population and in nursing homes.

Deputy president of the Spanish medical association Dr José Antonio Trujillo confirms what his colleagues say: "travel, mass events and low immunity" are what generates inter-seasonal peaks.

Fernández Zurbarán says that the important thing "is to be vaccinated". However, there is a difference in the success rates of various campaigns. While pregnant women fulfilled the desired rate, children between the ages of six and 59 months only reached 58.6% in terms of coverage. In addition, the over-60 group gave "mediocre" results, with "almost half still unvaccinated", despite being a risk group due to age. Interestingly, the vaccination rate among healthcare professionals is also low, below 50%. Fernández Zurbarán says that there is a need for a significant increase in these population groups. "There is no reason not to reach 70% or 80%: the vaccine is safe, free and accessible. We vaccinate in schools, nursing homes and health centres," he says.

Fernández Zurbarán warns that there were more than 350 deaths in Andalucía during the previous vaccination campaign (23/24). He highlights the high number of hospitalisations during the peak of the virus, when "900 and 1,000 people are admitted each week for acute respiratory diseases". "If we could reach 70% or 80% in all groups, this would mean fewer deaths and admissions," he says. Not surprisingly, immunisation campaigns have reduced hospital stays by 70% in recent years, according to data from the regional government.

The "key is vaccination, masks and soap", healthcare professionals keep repeating.