We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
SPANISH PRIME MINISTER Pedro Sanchez today said his government is concerned about a spike in coronavirus infections in the capital Madrid.
Spain registered over 23,000 new Covid-19 cases since Friday, health emergency chief Fernando Simon told a news conference yesterday, bringing the total to 462,858.
Of the 1,656 hospitalisations from the disease during the last seven days, 420, or 25%, were in Madrid, according to health ministry figures.
The region accounted for nearly half of the 141 deaths in the last seven days.
Spain has recorded a total of 29,094 virus deaths since the start of the pandemic, one of the world’s highest tolls.
It was one of the hardest-hit countries when the coronavirus struck Europe this year before a strict lockdown helped reduce the outbreak’s spread.
But infections have surged since the lockdown measures were fully removed at the end of June, especially in Madrid, with the rise in infections often linked to the return of nightlife and social gatherings.
‘Worried’
“We are worried about the state of public health and the evolution of the virus in Madrid,” Sanchez said in an interview with news radio Ser.
The socialist premier added that “some” regional governments which he did not identify needed to boost their ability to track Covid-19 cases and improve their “strategic capacities” in the fight against the virus.
Spain’s central government last week made 2,000 soldiers available to help regional governments, which are responsible for healthcare, to track people who have been exposed to those infected with virus.
So far 11 of the country’s 17 regional governments had requested soldiers, Sanchez said.
Madrid, which is governed by the conservative Popular Party, requested 150 soldiers.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
The article should stress that Spanish numbers are a sum of positive PCR tests and positive antibody tests, these last don’t mean you are currently infectious but mean you had the infection.
The EU should really make the testing parameters for diagnosis uniform . Furthermore, when analysing testing time of average laboratory results should also be indicated as well as a maximum “amplification cycles” standard for labs to avoid false positives.
@Isabel Oliveira: Can you link to that showing that they’re including antibody testing in that number?
@Tricia G: you have to scroll down to 21st August figures which were the last day they itemised PCR results.
“Total Cases’ reported is the sum of total cases detected by PRC and antibodies tests. [source]”
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/spain/
On that date there were 7565 cases in total of which 3915 were via antibody testing ( 51%) and 3650 via PCR ( 48%).
Total Results on Mondays are for accumulated days ( weekends )
31st August numbers only : 2, 489 ( PCR +antibody)
@Isabel Oliveira: Thanks for that. This is something I suspected myself.
So they are adding antibody tests, which is criminally misleading.
That explains why the fatality rate of COVID-19 seems to have plummeted from a frightening 7% to a reassuring 0.3%. They may be adding antibody tests as a tactic to reassure people, portray COVID-19 as a “harmless illness” by artificially inflating the number of infections. This seems to have occurred after the central government handed over testing to the regional provinces. They conducted over 2 million antibody tests.
The central government attempted to add antibody tests and PCR last April but reversed their decision after week after an outcry from doctors.
People who test positive on antibody tests could have contracted the virus many months ago, mostly the peak of the outbreak last March and April. They are not current infections. This misleading tactic has the effect of lowering the fatality rate, and people ask where the ill people are, the hospitals are empty despite rising numbers of “infections”.
That is not to say there has not been a modest increase in actual infections, deaths have increase as well, generally 10s per day dying, but not as high as the massive increase in “infection” would suggest. I see there were 125 deaths in the last 7 days.
@David: I don’t understand why Antibody testing is added. At least before one could see which were which but now the itemisation stopped.
On the mortality rate, I prefer looking at the serology studies as the selection is more random than looking at tests used for the purpose of diagnosing only. Spanish serology study numbers are pretty much in line with European values with extrapolated results of 3% which brings the morbidity rate below 1%.
I’m not an enthusiast of EU interference in strictly internal affairs but this is one case where really a 2nd & common set of statistics
with same formulae & parameters should be requested from all member states for a comparable analysis.
Sigh of despair with this statistical “word salad”
@Isabel Oliveira: Like I said, I suspect they are inflating the numbers in an attempt to claim that infections are far more common and COVID-19 disease is relatively harmless, on par with flu.
However, Spain did a randomised serology study clast May, they found that 5% of the population had caught the virus. And they calculated the Infection Fatality Rate (IFR) was between 1.1% – 1.3%.
“60,983 participants invited, of which so far 37,992 (62.3%) have responded. 5% positive on serology, with death rates varying by region. Calculated IFR between 1 – 1.3 %.”
The IFR can be higher or lower depending on the age and health of the affected population, it’s not static e.g. if it got into care homes. The IFR was 0.36% in Germany (though that study has it;s flaws) and 0.8% in France, but was 1.1% in Italy (1.39% Northern Italy). It’s 1.4% in England. The average seems to be ~0.68% (see Meyerowitz-Katz & Merone).
And Spain’s massive increase in “infections” since July 17 (that’s when numbers began to steeply increase,) could mostly be explained if 5% of millions antibody tests returned a positive result.
See:
Meyerowitz-Katz, G. and Merone, L., 2020. A systematic review and meta-analysis of published research data on COVID-19 infection-fatality rates. medRxiv.
@Isabel Oliveira: Just found this article about the Spanish antibody study, very interesting.
“Five percent is the equivalent of 2,350,000 cases. If there were around 27,100 deaths, that means that the fatality rate is between 1 and 1.2%,” explains Jesús Molina Cabrillana, an epidemiologist at the Spanish Society of Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Hygiene (Sempsph).
“If the percentage of infected people who eventually die is around 1.1%, as the study suggests, the cost in human lives of herd immunity would be between 200,000 and 300,000, making the method unacceptable.”
Save the hiday money. Buy a nicer TV, couch, cooker, ps5 when they come out….. Holidays are not worth the stress or risk and won’t be safe for a long time yet. Make your house a place you will be happy to spend a lot of time in during the winter in if you can. Maybe build a bar if you have the space and miss em as much as me. What a mess of a year and awful start to the 20′s this has been. But this too will pass.
@Thomas Quinn: “Holiday Money”
@Thomas Quinn: Oooooh, PS5
@Thomas Quinn: or Xbox series X…
@Thomas Quinn: Not much choice when you’ve been given a resort/campsite credit from this summers booking that needs to be used in 2021, and flights that needed to be booked too.. Again, with a voucher. .. So already booked up for Spain 2021.. Hoping things are in better shape by next summer.
@Thomas Quinn: Totally agree with you.Even before the pandemic, theses foreign holidays were so overrated and over priced.And if anything went wrong you hardly had no come back on anything,even if you had insurance.You think we were getting the holiday for nothing the way your treated!
Yep,Cozy up your house,god knows we pay enough on mortgage/rent in this country,and enjoy what’s yours ,stress free!!!
@Thomas Quinn: choose life. Choose a colour screen TV. Your comment reminded me of Trainspotting
@Breda Conlon Sheils: disagree, there is nothing overrated about travelling and seeing other countries and experiencing other cultures. Maybe if you go on the same holiday to the same resort every year, but not if you go to different places and book wisely to get a good deal.
@Breda Conlon Sheils: I love travelling. Just not worth it right now. What I wouldn’t give to be in Rome, Paris, Peru or Prague right now. Eating and drinking something unusual…… Sometime soon…… Im the meantime ill improve the gaff.
@Danny O’ Mahony: 2020 feels a bit like the retrieval of the suppository from the toilet scene….. Ugh
@Breda Conlon Sheils: Travelling isnt overrated. Theres a lot more to the world than this small island. I recommend you seeing it.
@Thomas Quinn: isn’t it great that you have the option to choose. What about the people who are jobless this year because of this complete overreaction? Will it pass for them too!?
@Thomas Quinn: With the current government crawling across the ceiling…
@Bill: Hey Bill. I am grateful that my family currently are in a position to choose. If you read my post you will see I say “if you can”. It is about people going on hols. So I’m assuming most who have been unfortunate to lose their jobs will have reevaluated holiday or home improvement plans accordingly.
@Sam Harms: True….The best education you can get is traveling,especially to different places,which I do.
I was referring more to airports and airlines.
@Breda Conlon Sheils: Travel is amazing and doesn’t need to be stressful. Our holidays abroad we organise independently online. Always find a lovely house with a pool and privacy. Avoid resorts at all costs and spend the days relaxing and exploring the villages and nature in the area. Go out of season in early Sept and places are quiet and flights and accommodation are very reasonable. Come home completely rested. Quite happy to holiday at home until Covid subsides, wonderful holiday in east cork this year, staying in a great house right beside a quiet beach. But also looking forward to the future when we can explore new places again. Maybe change the type of foreign holiday you go on if your if you are finding them stressful as there are many wonderful places to visit in the world.
@Heather Knowles: And I mean that in terms of finding ways to enjoy them without stress. Not in a smart arse way
Interesting to note the surge is since lockdown was lifted and increases in social gatherings. Who would have thought it? NPHET are getting a hiding here because we want to increase social gatherings open the boozers and come fully out of lockdown.
@GrumpyAulFella: they’re getting a kicking because the meat industry seems to be treated way better than any other industry. The Government are getting a kicking because they want to let Guards into peoples’ homes.
@GrumpyAulFella:
@GrumpyAulFella: world of a difference between spain and ireland. Madrid had a population of 6.5 million people, add in a few hundred thousand tourists.. There are more people in madrid then all of ireland. Big difference between madrid and opening a pub in lisdonvarna lol.
@Aidan O’ Neill: There’s an argument that industries such as meat production *should* be treated differently than other industries. Food production is essential, providing drinks in a bar isn’t, as an example. Additionally, I don’t get the whole outrage about Gardai being able to enter homes. The spirit of this is so that they could potentially disrupt and disband people having a large house party, for example, which is a good thing. I don’t know of anyone that hasn’t been to a house party in their youth that got a bit out of hand and the Gardai showed up, and I don’t recall them needing specific powers to walk in, turn off the music and tell everyone to sling their hooks.
@aidanshaw: ha you’re right there. All kinds of shenanigans in Lisdoonvarna during matchmaking festival in Sept though :)
@GrumpyAulFella: lol willie daly look out.
@Aidan O’ Neill: if you look at the general public sentiment though there seems to be a large cohort who just can’t wait to get into the boozer and get sloshed, ne’er a mention about meat factories or meat in general. Paddy wants his pints.
@OnlyHereForTheComments: maybe that was your experience but the. Gardai need a warrant to enter a home they dont ( cant) just show up and ‘turn off the music’ despite whatever hazy memories of your youth you are rambling about – the reason this is a big issue ( and by the way The Garda themselves have a major concerns about this ) is you cannot have such a low bar for police forces to enter peoples private residence – it is far too open for abuse and the reason the Govt backtracked was precisely because it is not such a straight forward matter – and rightly so – I dont want to live in a police state – its already bad enough as a Nanny State -especially the finger wagging since Covid 19 .
Holy moly!
Are they going around shifting each other or what?
Ooooh PS5
have your say