Spain’s new wave of coronavirus hits the young, middle-aged

Spain’s government h ended a three-month lockdown after an COVID-19 onslaught that claimed at least 28,400 lives in European Union nation. To kickstart its stalled ecomy, Spaniards were encourd to cautiously resume ir lives under a “new rmality” based on wearing face masks, washing hands and social distancing.

respite didn’t last long.

Outbreaks among farm workers and young people desperate to resume socializing after being cooped up have spre across rrn Spain, spawning what some health officials fear could be start of a dreed “second wave” of infections.

“It pains me to think that we could be right back where we were,” Gaya said after getting tested for coronavirus at her local health clinic in Sant Surni D’Aia, a vill near Barcelona. She came in because she h a fever, one of typical symptoms of COVID-19, along with a dry cough and loss of a sense of smell.

“I think we h done things well. w I don’t kw if we are doing it well at all. I’m t sure at what point we are safe,” Gaya said.

On June 22, day after Spain ended a national state of emergency and restored free movement around country, health ministry registered 125 new cases in 24 hours. Six weeks later, daily count has jumped, hitting 1,525 on Friday.

Spain is leing Western Europe’s major countries with an aver of 60 coronavirus cases per 100,000 inhabitants. While country’s south and Canary and Balearic Islands remain in good shape, regions of Navarra, Aragón, and Catalonia have registered more than 120 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over a 14-day period, making Spain’s rast biggest European hot spot along with parts of Romania, according to European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

In contrast to darkest weeks of March and April, when virus ripped through Spain’s elderly in nursing homes and pushed country’s hospitals to breaking point, pressure is w on Spain’s neighborhood health clinics. y are trying to screen and isolate new infections, which are taking place mostly among young, who in Spain and countries across world are igring social distancing, and middle-d.

aver of a virus patient in Spain has fallen from 63 in spring to 45 w and “ pressure on health system is low,” said Spanish Health Minister Salvor Illa. Since virus takes a heavier toll on elderly, younger coronavirus patients means more who have milder symptoms.

Spain’s improved testing capacity makes a comparison to start of pandemic difficult. In February, March and April, a short of tests meant that only very sick who were mitted to hospitals were tested and that a significant number of coronavirus cases went undetected.

w, local clinics are discovering many more infections among those who don’t show symptoms.

“We are in a different situation (than spring) because right w we have tests available,” said Dr. Miriam Ceña, director of health clinics in Sant Surni D’Aia, which is seeing a jump in cases like area around Barcelona, Catalonia’s largest city.

“We are in a situation of risk and alert. We don’t want to alarm population, but we want population to be responsible,” Ceña said. “In March, re was lockdown so situation was under more control. Right w, re is free movement and socializing and those are a risk of contagion.”

surge in new infections is sure to d to drastic contraction of Spain’s ecomy by slamming hopes of reactivating country’s critical tourism sector. ecomy has alrey dropped 18% in second quarter — its biggest dip since Spain’s 1936-39 Civil War.

Britain has placed a 14-day quarantine on travelers returning from Spain, while France, Germany, and Belgium have all issued travel warnings or discourd trips to rast Spain .

Authorities have for several weeks warned about danger of new outbreaks, but experts predicted y would likely occur in colder months. Inste, surge has come in mid-summer, when Spaniards are er to reconnect with family and friends, and hotels, restaurants and shops are counting on both domestic and foreign tourists to cushion pandemic’s blow to ir balance sheets.

Spain must w pull off delicate balancing act of managing health crisis while reactivating its ecomy. Officials desperately hope y can avoid ar full lockdown that would be catastrophic to businesses and jobs despite expected injection of massive aid from European Union .

Catalonia and many or regions have reintroduced restrictions, making masks obligatory at all times outside home and reclosing nightclubs due to ir links to outbreaks.

“We must be obsessive about complying with protection measures,” said Catalonia’s public health director, Josep Argimon.

Catalonia, however, is only w deploying 600 workers to its clinics to help nurses and doctors handle demands of contact tracing, which has been insufficient so far. That lack of urgency has drawn strong criticism from health workers and mayors.

Spain’s government is rolling out a phone app to help contract tracers find and stamp out new infections, while making a renewed appeal for individuals to act responsibly.

“re are many citizens who feel anguish upon seeing outbreaks that are happening in different parts of our country,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Friday. “Because we have all h to make an ermous effort to be disciplined, show resistance and muster will to defeat virus.”