Government officials in Spain are considering implementing a nationwide mask mandate for hospitals and health clinics, amid an increase in cases and hospitalizations of Covid-19, the flu and RSV in Europe—and worldwide.
The flu and Covid-19 are spreading rapidly among Europe, with Spain being one of the hardest hit ... [+]
Spain’s Health Minister Monica Garcia said on Spain's state-owned public television service that masking is “one thing we know will limit epidemics and protect vulnerable people,” Reuters reported.
Some regions in Spain have already reinstated masking at health centers—including Catalonia, Valencia and Murcia—for patients, staff and visitors, the Financial Times reported, following a spike in Covid-19 and flu cases across the country after the holidays.
On Friday, the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine said in a press release that people seeking emergency services for acute respiratory infections, like influenza A and Covid-19, are up 35% compared to the same time last year and are straining emergency service systems.
A decision on whether a mask mandate will be reinstated is expected by the end of day on Wednesday, according to a release from the Ministry of Health.
“It is a common sense measure, scientifically supported and widely accepted by the public,” Garcia said of a mask mandate in health care settings.
Some hospitals and health care settings in the United States are also turning back to mask mandates. As of Jan. 4, hospitals across four states had reinstated mask mandates, citing the nationwide increase of cases of and hospitalizations from respiratory illnesses—including Covid, the flu and RSV, which make up the “tripledemic” of illnesses spreading worldwide.
24%. That was the median test positivity for influenza among countries reporting data to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in its latest weekly update, which covered Dec. 31, 2023 through Jan. 6. That was higher than the median test positivity for both Covid-19 and RSV, which had 14% and 3% positivity, respectively.