The risk of contracting covid-19 in the Alicante province continues to increase worryingly as it surges across all municipalities. The incidence has skyrocketed in the last week to 645 active cases per 100,000 inhabitants and, following publication of the latest data from the Ministry of Health, the new infections by provinces are 1,490 in Alicante, which takes the total figure to 212,032 affected; 379 in Castellón reaching a total of 64,869 and 1,878 in Valencia, with a total of 306,667 positives.

As reported on Wednesday, the Alicante figure amounted to 11,815 currently infected, about 23% more than in the previous data review last Friday. In the last five days, therefore, more than 5,000 new infections have been diagnosed as the trend continues to experience an upward curve. In fact, the infections diagnosed by PCR reached 883 on Tuesday and 1,490 on Wednesday. That is, 607 more positives in a single day with four new deaths.

And all this just two days before Christmas. At least the hospital pressure has seen a slight respite in the last 24 hours. There were 264 people hospitalised on Tuesday, which fell to 241 on Wednesday, 57 of which are in the ICU. In the Valencian Community there are 768 hospitalised cases and 145 of them in ICU putting six of the ten ICU departments in our public hospitals are at extreme risk.

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If at the end of last week the province of Alicante entered a situation considered to be a very high risk of contagion according to the new “traffic light issued by the Ministry of Health, it is now fully immersed as all Alicante health departments far exceed 500 active cases per 100,000 inhabitants, with the exception of Elche-Crevillent.

The area with the worst data continues to be the Marina Baixa but the panorama has worsened in a in the Alcoy area followed by Dénia. The incidence in the Health Departments of Elche-General Hospital, Elda and Torrevieja Hospital is also of serious concern. The three remaining health areas – Sant Joan d’Alacant, Orihuela, and Alicante-General Hospital- maintain, for the moment, record lower figures.

The sixth wave of the pandemic is leading many municipalities to suspend their recreational and festive activities scheduled for the Christmas holidays.

The need to prevent the spread of the virus has led the Novelda council to suspend the New Year’s Eve chimes and other activities. In Sax the celebration of the Cabildo on Sunday has been cancelled and in Elda the traditional performance of “El Tenorio”, scheduled for the Holy Innocents day, has also been cancelled as have the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Alicante, Elche and Valencia.