Covid drives Spain's respiratory infections above epidemic level as flu lags

Spain's respiratory illness monitoring indicates the country has entered epidemic territory, with 478.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants recorded between September 21 and 27. The surge is almost entirely attributable to Covid, which represented 27.2% of tested samples, while flu and RSV accounted for only 4.1% and 0.2% respectively. Hospital data show stable overall admissions for severe acute respiratory infection, but the share of Covid-positive patients rose to 21% and the Covid hospitalization rate climbed to 1.7 per 100,000.

Among the youngest, bronchitis and bronchiolitis cases in under-fives nearly doubled in a week. Flu activity remains below the epidemic threshold, and health authorities are urging vaccination, with regional flu campaigns beginning in early October and allowing co-administration with Covid shots.