Numbers of Covid infections and hospitalised patients increase, but ICU cases drop

However, the real number of infections are higher than those that appear in the official statistics, since diagnostic tests for an active infection (PDIA) are only being carried out on people over 60 years of age, health and social-health staff, pregnant women and serious cases of Covid. Therefore, the significant number of positives that are detected through antigen tests purchased in pharmacies (whose sales have tripled in Malaga) are not included in Junta de Andalucía figures and remain unaccounted for.

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Pharmacies see sales of Covid-19 antigen tests triple as infections increase

Ángel Escalera

The cumulative incidence rate (IA) of the infection in people in the region over 60 years of age, the only one measured, shows that Andalucía has 561.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (some 112.3 points more than Tuesday). Despite this increase, the average is the lowest in Spain.

The number of hospitalised patients in Malaga province with an infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 has also increased slightly in the latest Junta data released this Friday (8 July), going from 165 to 172. Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus patients with coronavirus being treated in the intensive care units (ICUs) in Malaga has decreased. This Friday there are three admitted compared to 12 on Tuesday. In Andalucía as a whole there are 728 patients hospitalised (20 more than 72 hours before); of those, 28 are in an ICU (seven fewer).

In addition, the Junta’s Ministry of Health and Families has notified another eight deaths of people suffering from an infection caused by the virus in Malaga province, which has reached 2,506 deaths since the start of the pandemic. In the Andalusian region, 46 new deaths have been reported. The total number of officially recognised deaths in Andalucía now stands at 14,367 in the two and a half years of health crisis.

Given the increase in infections in recent weeks, both Spain’s Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, and the Andalusian Minister of Health, Jesús Aguirre, have recommended the use of face masks indoors, especially if they are poorly ventilated. "Protecting ourselves, we protect everyone," said Aguirre.