Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jul 01, 2025 1 week, 9 hours, 21 minutes ago
Medical News: COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Rise in Spain According to Latest Government Surveillance Report
This
Medical News report is based on the latest update from Spain’s national surveillance system titled “Vigilancia de Infección Respiratoria Aguda: gripe, COVID-19 y VRS”, compiled by the Centro Nacional de Epidemiología (CNE) and the Centro Nacional de Microbiología (CNM) under the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) for the week of June 16 to June 22, 2025 (Week 25/2025). The data reveal a worrying trend of increased SARS-CoV-2 infections and hospitalizations across the country.
COVID-19 Resurgence in Spain Raises Alarm as Positivity Rates Climb Sharply
Primary Care Data Shows COVID-19 Climbing While Flu and RSV Decline
According to the Sistema de Vigilancia de Infección Respiratoria Aguda (SiVIRA), national incidence rates of respiratory illnesses treated in primary care and hospitals were tracked, alongside diagnostic testing results. While flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) show declining trends, COVID-19 is climbing steadily.
The national rate of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) seen in primary care is currently 282.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants—slightly down from the previous week’s 298.2 but still elevated. Influenza-like illness stands at 6.3 cases per 100,000, showing a continued retreat from its low-intensity epidemic phase which spanned from late 2024 to early 2025.
However, the syndromic rate for COVID-19 has increased to 10.7 cases per 100,000 people (up from 10.6 last week), and COVID-specific positivity from diagnostic tests has surged to 16.5%, compared to 14.7% the week before. In children under five, bronchiolitis and bronchitis rates have decreased slightly to 129 cases per 100,000 from 143.3.
Notably, the proxy incidence rate for COVID-19—which combines ARI rates and test positivity—has risen to 46.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 43.8 the previous week. In contrast, the flu proxy rate fell to 4 per 100,000, and RSV stood at zero, indicating a seasonal lull.
Hospitalization Trends Reveal COVID-19 Still a Serious Concern
Hospital data from Week 25/2025 show that severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) hospitalization rates remain high. The national hospitalization rate is 9.5 per 100,000, slightly lower than the previous week’s 10.1, but with COVID-19 accounting for the majority of serious cases.
COVID-19 accounted for a 10.4% test positivity rate among hospitalized cases, similar to the previous week (10.3%). Influenza positivity in hospitals fell sharply to 1.7% from 3.6%, and RSV dropped to 0%.
The COVID-19 hospitalization proxy stands at 1 case per 100,000 inhabitants, with no change from the previous week. Severity data from the season starting in October 2024 (week 40/2024) show that 24.9% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients developed pneumonia, 3.4% required ICU admission, and 7.7
% died.
In comparison, influenza had a slightly higher ICU admission rate at 6.1% but lower lethality at 6.3%. RSV cases—now rare—had the highest ICU admission rate at 8.9%, though with a 4.5% fatality rate.
Genomic Surveillance: KP.3 and XEC Variants Dominate
Virus sequencing and genomic surveillance reveal significant circulation of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Of the viruses identified in primary care sentinel samples, 33.03% were sequenced. Among them, 53.55% had identifiable GISAID codes.
Variant XEC was the most prevalent (44.81%), followed by KP.3 (33.33%)—primarily of the KP.3.1.1 sublineage—and LP.8.1 (7.5%).
This surveillance aligns with warnings from European health authorities to closely monitor these emerging variants due to their increased transmissibility and potential immune escape.
Excess Mortality Observed
Spain also recorded elevated mortality in Week 25/2025. The national MoMo (daily mortality monitoring) model estimated 7,072 deaths, compared to an expected 6,681 deaths for the same week. While not all excess deaths are directly attributable to COVID-19, experts caution that surges in respiratory illnesses—especially involving SARS-CoV-2—likely contribute.
Health Authorities Urge Continued Vigilance
Although the COVID-19 rate remains below epidemic thresholds, health authorities are closely watching the upward trends. The data reveal that COVID-19 continues to have a significant public health impact, especially in terms of hospitalizations, pneumonia complications, and ICU usage.
The Spanish Ministry of Health continues to update vaccination guidelines and respiratory virus surveillance through the ISCIII’s SiVIRA platform. European and global respiratory virus updates are also monitored weekly through ERVISS and the WHO.
The recent trends underscore the need for robust genomic surveillance, healthcare preparedness, and renewed public health messaging to address the evolving risks posed by SARS-CoV-2.
Reference:
Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Vigilancia de Infección Respiratoria Aguda: gripe, COVID-19 y VRS. Semana 25/2025 (del 16 de junio al 22 de junio de 2025)
https://docsivira.isciii.es/Informe_semanal_SiVIRA_202525.html
https://cne.isciii.es/en/servicios/enfermedades-transmisibles/enfermedades-a-z/gripe-covid-19-y-otros-virus-respiratorios
For more real-time COVID-19 updates and in-depth analysis, visit Thailand
Medical News.
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/u-s-cdc-claims-covid-19-infections-are-not-rising-but-can-we-really-trust-the-numbers
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/coronavirus
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