The covid kills twenty times less in the fifth wave after the advance of vaccines

The incidence of covid has risen in recent weeks in the Valencian Community, some health uncertainty has returned and the Generalitat's restrictions are advancing. However, this fifth wave leaves a less negative data: the lethality of the virus has decreased drastically . With advanced vaccination, infections no longer translate into the same death rate as before. Although the alert continues, the outcome is less serious than it has been in previous months

If the data from the Conselleria de Sanidad Universal are taken from June 21 - the date on which it begins to detect how infections rise - and infections and deaths are counted until this Saturday, July 24, there is a mortality 20 times less than that of the third wave of last January and February, the most disastrous in terms of deaths in the Community. Specifically, from June 21 to July 24 (yesterday) there have been 49,024 infections and 26 deaths -three reported deaths that belonged to previous months-, so the mortality rate has been 0.05%. In that period, in the province of Alicante there have only been 9 deaths.

If we go to the third wave, the percentage is dramatically higher, since between January and February there were 428,561 covid infections in the autonomous region, which resulted in 4,468 deaths. This represented a 1% mortality from the disease. That is, 20 times more. In those two months, 784 people died in the province of Alicante.

The percentages of the first wave -March to June 2020- would be similar to that 1% mortality, according to the serology study carried out by the Carlos III Institute of Madrid, which analyzed the impact in Spain of the first wave, when it was not so many diagnostic tests were done and there were 1,475 deaths registered at that time. Between the third wave of covid and the so-called fifth wave, there is a major main difference that explains the improvement in survival prospects against covid: many vaccines.

According to the latest government data, which correspond to Thursday, 57.1% of residents in the Valencian Community already have the complete guideline. The percentage is around 86% between the age groups of 50 to 59 and 60 to 69 years. Vaccination is practically complete among the oldest. All the deaths from June 21 to July 24 in the Community belong to people over 50 years of age, except one that was within the range of 40 to 49 years.

Young people, looked at with a magnifying glass in recent weeks, have starred in the majority of infections (the incidence of twenty-somethings is at the level of the third wave). They are the least immunized group, with only 13.4% of Valencians between 20 and 29 years old with one dose. However, none of the deaths reported since June 21 corresponds to children under 40.

Peak of infections in the province

This Friday was a day of appointment to get vaccinated for many twenty-somethings. The hope remains that there will not be another wave, at least as serious as the first ones, that brings insecurity and restrictions on the part of the authorities. In any case, it should be remembered that infections continue to skyrocket. Yesterday, the Ministry of Health notified 977 positives in the province, the maximum so far in this fifth wave. 2,908 cases were registered throughout the Community. In this way, the accumulated number of infections amounts to 160,498 in the Alicante area and 448,801 in the autonomous region.

Puig points out that the last deceased were deniers

The regional president, Ximo Puig, regretted yesterday that the last deaths from covid in the autonomy "are people who had not been vaccinated because they had decided not to be vaccinated." The head of the Consell pointed out that, "from the respect of individual freedom," the Generalitat has "the obligation to tell Valencians that the vaccine is the most important asset to overcome the pandemic, from an individual and collective health perspective ». Puig insisted on the idea that "on October 9, 70% of the population over 12 years of age will be vaccinated."