Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations pass peaks, says Catalan health department

he number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Catalonia reached a peak on April 8, while the number of people hospitalized for Covid-19 reached its highest point on April 11, said the health department on Friday, which described the evolution of the disease as "positive." 

However, Catalan health minister Alba Vergés also warned that the number of people diagnosed with the disease on a daily basis remained "high," as is the possibility of a resurgence in the number of positive cases in the coming days.

"We must continue monitoring the risk posed by the epidemic and of new outbreaks," said Vergés in her daily update, who warned that the easing of pressure on ICUs continued to be "very slow," with Covid-19 patients spending an average of 21 days in hospital.

Of the 1,979 beds available in ICUs in Catalonia, some 1,259 were taken by Covid-19 patients, or 75% of the total, although Vergés also said that until this week the proportion of ICU beds used by coronavirus patients had been higher than 80%. 

Hospitals begin reprogramming canceled appointments

Some areas in hospitals, such as operating theaters, that had been converted into temporary ICUs were now being recovered, said the minister, who added that operations and other appointments that had been postponed were now being reprogrammed.

Pointing out that the number of Covid-19 cases depended on the area of Catalonia, with the highest numbers in more populated areas, the minister said the government had been advised to begin de-escalating the home quarantine of the public later than in Madrid.

A report by the Catalan health department suggested relaxing the confinement to home a week later than in the Spanish capital, where the first cases had appeared earlier than in Catalonia, said Vergés, who added: "We don't want to put our health system at risk."