The epidemic slows its progress despite adding 8,581 new cases

Health workers carry out PCR tests on several citizens from their cars, this Wednesday in front of the parking lot of the Reino de León football field, due to the increase in cases in Castilla y León.

Casares / EFE

Note to readers: EL PAÍS

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The Ministry of Health has notified 8,581 new cases of coronavirus in Spain this Wednesday (3,663 diagnosed in the last 24 hours).

Despite the fact that the epidemic continues to advance strongly, the weekly incidence figures (47,423 diagnoses) and in the last 14 days (99,621) have fallen slightly thanks to the decreases in Madrid, the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Aragon.

This is far from becoming a trend.

Only Aragon shows a consistent drop in infections, while in Catalonia they are stabilized.

But the data from the Balearic Islands and Madrid can be just an oasis in the middle of a rise that has been unstoppable, especially in the case of the latter community, which accumulates almost a third of the cases in all of Spain.

Both the health authorities and the experts are particularly concerned about what is happening in the capital, since as a communications center it has the capacity to spread the epidemic to the rest of the country.

Especially affected may be the neighboring communities, Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha, which have scheduled a meeting for Wednesday afternoon with Health and the Community of Madrid to articulate measures.

Madrid is by far the one with the highest incidence at 14 days (466 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), followed by the Basque Country (363) and La Rioja (361).

All the others are below 300 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, something that, despite that, is much more than most neighboring countries.

Only Asturias (46) falls below one hundred.

The burden on hospitals continues to grow gradually, although the rate has also slowed compared to the previous days.

6,924 people are admitted with covid-19, which represents 6% of hospital beds in Spain, a percentage that remains with a smooth but continuous upward trend.

Of these, 874 are in intensive care.

Madrid is also the community with the highest percentage of coronavirus patients in its centers: 15%.

This had been rising since August 20, when Health provided data for the first time;

It was at 9.5% then, but it hasn't grown in the last two days.

This community, together with Catalonia and Andalusia, account for almost half of all those admitted by SARS-CoV-2, although they are also the most populated.

In the Health report on Wednesday there are also 42 new deaths to add 29,194 in the official statistics, something that is in all probability well below the real one, since thousands of infected people have died who were not done. PCR.

Information about the coronavirus

- Here you can follow the last hour on the evolution of the pandemic

- This is how the coronavirus curve evolves in Spain and in each autonomy

- Download the tracking application for Spain

- Search engine: The new normal by municipalities

- Guide to action against the disease