https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed A resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Europe, this time driven by new, fast-spreading Omicron subvariants, is once again threatening to disrupt people's summer plans. https://www.thelocal.es/20220622/covid-subvariants-cast-shadow-over-european-summer Wed, 22 Jun 2022 18:08:14 +0200 covid-subvariants-cast-shadow-over-european-summer Spain’s decision to stop counting all infections has some epidemiologists arguing health authorities are turning a blind eye to rising cases. But is the country truly heading towards a seventh wave? https://www.thelocal.es/20220509/outbreak-or-seventh-wave-health-experts-divided-as-covid-case-rise-in-spain Mon, 09 May 2022 15:12:56 +0200 outbreak-or-seventh-wave-health-experts-divided-as-covid-case-rise-in-spain With Spain’s sixth coronavirus wave now over, one of the main concerns among health authorities has seen the large rise in cases of the Omicron BA.2 subvariant in the country. But is there reason to be worried and could it affect the easing of the last Covid restrictions in the coming months? https://www.thelocal.es/20220224/stealth-omicron-cases-rise-in-spain-what-you-should-know Thu, 24 Feb 2022 18:41:34 +0100 stealth-omicron-cases-rise-in-spain-what-you-should-know Spain’s Health Ministry on Thursday announced it will stop keeping count of all Covid-19 infections in the country, with the exception of serious cases, vulnerable people and those over aged 60 or older. https://www.thelocal.es/20220310/spain-to-stop-counting-covid-infections-except-for-serious-cases Thu, 10 Mar 2022 18:08:15 +0100 spain-to-stop-counting-covid-infections-except-for-serious-cases More than 100,000 people have died from Covid-19 in Spain, health ministry figures showed on Wednesday as the country emerged from a sixth wave of the pandemic. https://www.thelocal.es/20220303/spains-covid-death-toll-passes-100000 Thu, 03 Mar 2022 10:01:30 +0100 spains-covid-death-toll-passes-100000 Here is some of the more underreported coronavirus news in Spain in February, from vaccine side-effects, to new Covid-fighting treatments being developed and other interesting information flying under the radar. https://www.thelocal.es/20220208/nine-covid-19-news-stories-from-spain-you-may-have-missed Tue, 08 Feb 2022 14:43:37 +0100 nine-covid-19-news-stories-from-spain-you-may-have-missed The Omicron variant has moved the Covid-19 pandemic into a new phase and could bring it to an end in Europe, the WHO Europe director said on Monday. https://www.thelocal.es/20220124/why-europe-could-be-headed-for-pandemic-endgame Mon, 24 Jan 2022 11:51:13 +0100 why-europe-could-be-headed-for-pandemic-endgame Seemingly milder for some but still highly contagious, Omicron has filled intensive care beds again at a hospital near Barcelona where shattered staff are still fighting a virus that refuses to retreat. https://www.thelocal.es/20220121/the-last-wave-spain-icu-staff-exhausted-by-recurring-covid-battle Fri, 21 Jan 2022 16:53:32 +0100 the-last-wave-spain-icu-staff-exhausted-by-recurring-covid-battle Official data may show that more than 8 million people in Spain have had Covid-19, but the country’s Health Ministry has admitted that a lack of case reporting throughout the pandemic could mean that at least 4 million more have been infected.  https://www.thelocal.es/20220117/more-than-a-quarter-of-people-in-spain-have-had-covid-19-health-ministry Mon, 17 Jan 2022 17:40:31 +0100 more-than-a-quarter-of-people-in-spain-have-had-covid-19-health-ministry The Spanish government's plans to view Covid-19 as an "endemic disease" similar to seasonal influenza would mean infections aren’t counted so rigorously, a strategy that not all health professionals in Spain agree with as cases continue rising.  https://www.thelocal.es/20220111/spains-health-experts-divided-over-whether-covid-19-should-be-treated-like-flu Tue, 11 Jan 2022 12:28:37 +0100 spains-health-experts-divided-over-whether-covid-19-should-be-treated-like-flu The Omicron coronavirus variant caused more reinfections in the last fortnight than that seen during the rest of the pandemic, data from Spanish researchers showed. https://www.thelocal.es/20220109/spain-sees-more-covid-reinfections-in-last-fortnight-than-rest-of-pandemic Sun, 09 Jan 2022 21:25:22 +0100 spain-sees-more-covid-reinfections-in-last-fortnight-than-rest-of-pandemic With a fortnightly infection rate of 2,433 cases per 100,000 people, Spain now has the highest incidence of the virus of all European nations.  https://www.thelocal.es/20220105/spain-now-has-the-highest-covid-infection-rate-in-europe Wed, 05 Jan 2022 14:50:40 +0100 spain-now-has-the-highest-covid-infection-rate-in-europe Almost a month since Spain approved a milder version of the Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, we look at the stats that reveal the progress being made and how it compares to other European countries. https://www.thelocal.es/20220104/how-is-spains-covid-vaccination-campaign-for-children-aged-5-to-11-going Tue, 04 Jan 2022 11:39:42 +0100 how-is-spains-covid-vaccination-campaign-for-children-aged-5-to-11-going Christmas in Spain isn’t over and the Health Ministry is yet to report new Covid cases over the New year weekend, but so far the festive period has left more than one million infections as the country struggles to contain the Omicron variant. https://www.thelocal.es/20220103/spain-records-more-than-a-million-covid-infections-in-three-weeks Mon, 03 Jan 2022 15:14:49 +0100 spain-records-more-than-a-million-covid-infections-in-three-weeks Europe has recorded over 100 million coronavirus cases, more than a third of all infections worldwide, since the start of the pandemic, an AFP tally Saturday showed. https://www.thelocal.es/20220102/europe-tops-100-million-covid-cases-afp-tally Sun, 02 Jan 2022 11:35:17 +0100 europe-tops-100-million-covid-cases-afp-tally European countries are battling a huge spike in Covid infections driven by the Omicron variant but some countries are hit worse than others and strategies to fight the pandemic vary. Here's a run-through of the state of play as 2021 draws to a close. https://www.thelocal.es/20211231/compare-how-europe-is-ending-2021-with-record-covid-rates-and-new-restrictions Fri, 31 Dec 2021 10:48:15 +0100 compare-how-europe-is-ending-2021-with-record-covid-rates-and-new-restrictions Driven by the new Omicron variant, Spain’s sixth wave has sent case numbers rocketing. On Tuesday, the country recorded just under 50,000 new infections, the highest number in a 24-hour period since the Covid pandemic began in March 2020. https://www.thelocal.es/20211222/spain-records-highest-daily-covid-19-cases-since-pandemic-began Wed, 22 Dec 2021 11:50:49 +0100 spain-records-highest-daily-covid-19-cases-since-pandemic-began Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal said Monday he has tested positive for Covid-19 on his return to Spain from Abu Dhabi, where he took part in an exhibition tournament in which he met with Spain's elusive former king Juan Carlos. https://www.thelocal.es/20211220/rafa-nadal-tests-positive-for-covid-19 Mon, 20 Dec 2021 14:04:41 +0100 rafa-nadal-tests-positive-for-covid-19 Almost all of Spain's regions have surpassed the recommended 5 percent threshold for Covid-19 patients in intensive care units. https://www.thelocal.es/20211210/sixth-wave-of-covid-puts-pressure-on-spains-hospitals-and-icu-wards Fri, 10 Dec 2021 16:45:18 +0100 sixth-wave-of-covid-puts-pressure-on-spains-hospitals-and-icu-wards New data shows that the sixth wave in Spain isn’t slowing down and infections continue to rise after the recent holiday of the Puente de la Constitución. https://www.thelocal.es/20211209/covid-19-cases-in-spain-continue-to-rise-after-the-long-weekend Thu, 09 Dec 2021 11:31:05 +0100 covid-19-cases-in-spain-continue-to-rise-after-the-long-weekend