Flu Epidemic Continues to Rise in Alicante: 70% Increase in Cases Within a Week

The flu wave continues to rise in the province of Alicante, reaching a new peak. Cases have increased by 70% in the last week (from January 20 to 26), with the infection rate now at 374.4 per 100,000 inhabitants.

In contrast, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) continues its downward trend, dropping to 61.9 cases, a third less than the previous week, which had already seen a 40% decrease. Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases are rising again, with an incidence of 42 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, a 60% increase compared to two weeks ago. This is according to the latest report from the Valencian Community's Acute Respiratory Infections Surveillance System (SIVIRA CV).

The rate of acute respiratory infections (ARI), a combination of the previous three, also shows an upward trend, reaching 1,184 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, a 5% increase from the previous week. This figure remains significantly higher than the national average, which is around 804 cases.

Severe cases requiring hospital admission are also on the rise. Despite a slight decrease in the last update, they are now increasing again, from 19.7 to 21.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This figure is slightly above the national average (20.4).

Vega Baja is the hardest hit, with incidence peaks exceeding 1,600 ARI cases per 100,000 inhabitants. No other area in the Community shows these figures according to the latest SiVIRA-CV bulletin.

In this regard, the SATSE Nursing Union warns of the situation in the emergency department of the Vega Baja Hospital in Orihuela, describing it as "inhumane and on the verge of collapse." They report that in the last week, there have been up to 23 patients waiting for admission to the ward for 2 days, with a maximum delay of up to 64 hours.

"It is unacceptable that in a reference hospital, patients are treated in conditions that violate their dignity and basic rights. The situation in the hospital wards is no better, with blocked beds and almost full occupancy, which directly impacts the emergency department's collapse," the union explains.