Three more patients have been admitted to the Dr José Molina Orosa Hospital in Arrecife. Two of the new patients are a man and a woman in their 60s and they (and the other patient, for whom details have not been released) will join another patient who was admitted earlier this week on the isolation ward for Covid-19 cases. Another patient with pre-existing conditions is currently in the intensive care unit.
The admission of these five patients comes after almost two months during which the hospital contained no Covid-19 patients at all.
The admissions reflect a growing trend throughout Spain, where hospitalisations are steadily increasing. Two hospitals in Madrid have temporarily suspended routine surgery and consultations following the sharp rise in hospitalisations in the capital. However, health authorities insist that the health services are still able to deal with the situation.
The increase in admissions is not a surprise. Although the general profile of recent positive cases has been younger, asymptomatic patients, older people are still being infected, as well, and remain every bit as vulnerable to the virus as before.
There are currently a total of 124 active cases on Lanzarote. Five are in hospital and the other 119 are in quarantine at their homes. The largest outbreak on the island stemmed from the Monkey disco in Puerto del Carmen on the 1st August, which resulted in 14 positive cases and a further 69 contacts under observation.
Discos are also the source of the largest outbreaks in the Canaries, with 134 positive cases resulting from two discos in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The Canarian Government prohibited discos and other nightlife last Friday – a measure that has been adopted throughout Spain as a whole this week.