The effects of the vaccination drive on the Canaries may already be apparent, as recent figures show the apparent elimination of the virus in care homes, and a reduction in the amount of over 65-year-olds contracting the Covid virus on Lanzarote.
Since the completion of the vaccination of Group 1, which comprised of residents and staff in care homes, not one single case has been registered in these establishments in the Canaries. This is wonderful news when you consider that care homes on the islands have suffered several outbreaks and fatalities since the beginning of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the infection rate among the over-65s is now lower on all the islands than the overall infection rates (although there are still zones on the larger islands where the elderly have a higher infection rate). On Lanzarote, the infection rate among over-65s is particularly low and currently stands at zero over the last seven days. According to cvcanarias, there are currently no active cases aged over 70 on the island.
Lanzarote has also improved its hospital occupation figures, with only four Covid patients currently remaining in the island’s 48 intensive care beds.
Nevertheless, the island still cannot seem to get its figures much below the levels that have been registered for several weeks now. There appear to be low-level community transmission occurring on the island that is well within the “medium risk” daily average of four to sixteen cases. This means that, at the moment, Lanzarote is highly likely to remain in Level 2 once the Easter restrictions finish next week.
The Canarian government provides a weekly update on the number of outbreaks on the islands, with an outbreak defined as a cluster of three or more linked cases. Recently, Lanzarote has suffered two outbreaks, one of which was described as occurring in a sporting/social context, with three positive cases.
Almost half of all outbreaks on the Canaries take place in family situations, and most of these involve people who do not habitually live together and occur in more than one household. Social gatherings and workplace infections are the second most frequent cause of outbreaks, while a far smaller number of outbreaks can be traced to sporting activities and educational establishments.
For regular updates, pictures and videos of Lanzarote be sure to like and follow our Facebook page “Gazette Life Lanzarote”.
