Fears of a Christmas rise in Covid cases seem to have been justified as Lanzarote has experienced a significant rise in new cases. The number of active cases on the island has doubled from 51 to 102 within a week.
Nevertheless, Lanzarote is also carrying out large numbers of tests, and still has a low percentage of positive test results (2.65%). Just one patient remains in hospital on the Covid ward, rather than intensive care.
Meanwhile, tracing teams continue their work and have recently carried out screening programmes associated with three schools, where analysis showed that wastewater had traces of the coronavirus. The screenings detected just two positive cases of Covid-19 at the Altavista school in Arrecife.
Meanwhile, the Canarian health service announced that they have detected 99 outbreaks (defined as three or more cases from the same source) throughout the Canaries in the last week, and these have been categorised as originating in families (64), workplaces (13) social situations (9), educational (6), socially vulnerable collectives (4) and healthcare situations (3).
Other cases that are not classed as part of an outbreak will include individual cases that have been, or untraced positive test results.
Three of these outbreaks took place on Lanzarote, and involved 16 people in total. Two of these outbreaks took place in family situations, one “with social aspects”; and the other stemmed from a social situation.
461 flights carrying a total of almost 50,0000 passengers have arrived on the Canaries since the 18th December. 160 travellers tested positive before their flight and were ordered to isolate and not travel. The law also permits internal Spanish travellers to take a test upon arrival. Of these, 73 passengers have tested positive and been placed in isolation.
The Canarian authorities have reminded islanders that New Year’s parties on are restricted to a maximum of ten people, and it is recommended that they come from no more than two households. A 1.30 curfew will be in operation tonight.
