Related news: Mallorca health: Spain arms against the flu: from masks in hospitals to more beds: Balearics is in a moderate epidemic phase

With some emergency services already strained and without a common strategy as intended by the Ministry of Health, each community has deployed its own plan to mitigate the impact of respiratory viruses, with measures ranging from recovering the mask in health centres to increasing the number of beds.

After getting through Christmas at low levels, the flu, covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season has started the year with an increase in the incidence, especially of the former, which has almost doubled the number of hospitalisations compared to those recorded in the last week of 2024. Data published yesterday by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III showed a 49% increase in the incidence of respiratory infections in primary care - from 562.9/100,000 inhabitants to 639.8 cases - in the first week of 2025. In hospitals, it has risen from 19.7 to 23.

Of all, influenza is the one that has advanced most strongly, although at a slower and less intense pace than last season; despite this, the increase in serious cases has been noticeable for days in hospital emergency departments, some of which are already talking about collapse. The Ministry of Health proposed to the communities a common roadmap with homogeneous measures against the winter epidemic of the virus. The aim was to avoid what it had to do last year, when it ended up imposing the use of masks in health centres throughout the country.

The ministerial and regional technicians managed to make progress on a document of measures that, however, did not pass the filter of the Public Health Commission, where the directors general of the PP autonomous regions refused to vote on it.

The department headed by Mónica García ruled out resorting to the imposition of measures but, in the absence of a common strategy, opted to publish the aforementioned document in the form of recommendations, including the gradual use of masks as the epidemic progresses and the withdrawal of workers in residential centres who are in contact with vulnerable people.

Apart from this, the regional ministries have been implementing their own contingency plans according to their epidemiological situation, which is not the same in all of them. Andalusia activated the High Frequency Plan at the beginning of December, which consists of four phases depending on demand. In addition, it maintains in force an instruction from July 2023 on masks in the intra-hospital environment, which advises responsible use when infected.

In Aragon, the epidemic threshold of flu cases has been exceeded with 75.5/100,000 inhabitants; the Directorate General of Public Health has issued an instruction to health professionals in medical, social and health care and social services centres recommending the use of masks, which they can make compulsory if so decided by their management.

The situation in Asturias remains normal, and therefore no extraordinary measures have been taken. The Balearics will activate 83 beds in three public hospitals in Mallorca. However, according to the regional government, the region is in a moderate epidemic phase. The public hospitals in the Canary Islands are keeping their contingency plans active, with measures such as incorporating additional staff and increasing the capacity of the Home Hospitalisation Units. Since mid-December, the recommendation to wear masks in vulnerable areas such as chemotherapy treatment rooms, emergency rooms, transplant units and ICUs has been in force.

Castilla-La Mancha, which expects the peak in two weeks, has not planned special measures except to monitor the evolution, because now the incidence rate of influenza (29.2) is much lower than in the two previous campaigns. In Castilla y León, with the flu still at low levels of intensity and a peak with a month or month and a half to go, its fourteen public hospitals will implement their own contingency plans when necessary. For the moment, no problems have been detected in the emergency department, sources from the ministry explained. Catalonia, where the increase in influenza is translating into greater pressure in these services, believes that the cases do not exceed those of other years, and therefore ruled out taking extraordinary measures such as new rules on the use of masks.

Mallorca hospitals brace for spike in respiratory infections

Mallorca on flu alert

Balearics vaccination against the flu and COVID-19 operation begins

Coughs and sneezes still spread diseases

Obligation for face masks in Mallorca's health centres to end