The variant of the Sars-Cov-2 VUI / 2020/12/01, detected at source in the United Kingdom, is advancing in the Basque Country and already represents 29.3% of all positives. In this context, the Basque Health Service (Osakidetza) has reported that a first major outbreak associated with this mutation has already been detected, with a total of 62 confirmed infections. This is an outbreak that appeared in a Barakaldo gym, in which 59 users and 3 workers have been infected. Another 144 have tested negative in diagnostic tests.
Health considers the great outbreak with six dead in a Bilbao building controlled after four weeks
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The deputy director of Public Health, Koldo Cambra, has indicated that the British variant “is involved” but has pointed out that not all the positives of the gym must have been caused by it. However, the 30% positivity in the screening carried out is a significantly higher percentage than others carried out in outbreaks that appeared weeks ago. The general positivity in Euskadi is now around 5%. It had been suggested that the main characteristic of this mutation was that it could be up to 70% more contagious. Until now, other outbreaks, such as a block of flats in Bilbao or some residences, had been analyzed, but no evidence had been detected.
“The growth rate of the variant is high”, has admitted Osakidetza, who has called for rigor in compliance with security measures. Moreover, its prevalence is much higher in the younger age groups. Euskadi is one of the communities that has reported the most positive associated with the VUI / 2020/12/01, although it attributes it to the sequence of more cases of COVID-19 to determine its origin. It is estimated that around 20% of the total samples with an accredited presence of the coronavirus are investigated in the Cruces laboratories, in Barakaldo, and in the Donostia hospital.
These data arrive in a day with 505 new positive cases in the Basque Country, 284 in Bizkaia, 149 in Gipuzkoa and 67 in Álava. The incidence rate continues its progressive decline (385 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days), although a level of red alert is formally maintained and the level considered optimal is far away (a rate of 60). The R0 has been stuck in the environment of 0.80, still in security parameters. As for hospitals, they remain stressed with 44% ICU occupancy with severe cases of COVID-19, 156 out of 354 total beds. In the last 24 hours, 54 people were admitted and the total hospitalized rises to 547.
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