Two million Spaniards have been in contact with the new coronavirus

The Government already has the first photo of the passage of the Covid-19 and does not show very good results in terms of protecting the population. Despite the fact that the infection was a blow that swept almost the entire national geography like a tsunami, only 5 percent of the Spanish population has generated antibodies against Covid-19, although in some provinces it multiplies by five. That would mean that slightly more than two million Spaniards would have been in contact with the new virus, the infection passed and they would be more protected against a new contagion . This is the first result of the first wave of the seroprevalence study designed by the Carlos III Health Institute and presented by the Ministers of Health and Science, Salvador Illa and Pedro Duque.

Video: 5% of Spaniards have been infected with coronavirus, according to the prevalence study (AT)

Salvador Illa did not want to assess "whether the data was good or bad" but did make it clear that the expected "herd immunity" had not been achieved , which would allow us to keep the circulation of the virus at bay in the absence of a vaccine. Although the data is still preliminary, it is far from the 60-70% that epidemiologists consider minimum to achieve group protection. That would be the best of situations because it would mean that there would be so many people protected that the virus could not circulate and would no longer be a threat.

“That 5 percent was within our starting hypothesis and so we based the de-escalation plan with great caution. The data indicates that we must continue to act with care, "insisted the minister.

The first map of the pandemic also leaves other important data: the great geographic variability and a homogeneous effect by sex, in which there are no great differences between men and women. Yes, there is a significant disparity between territories. In some more affected provinces in the interior of the peninsula, the prevalence of antibodies is up to five times higher than other areas, explained the director of the National Center for Epidemiology and the scientific director of the study, Marina Pollán, who presented the details of the research. Thus, Ceuta, Murcia, Melilla, Asturias, and the Canary Islands have prevalences of less than 2 percent, while Castilla-la Mancha and Madrid exceed 10 percent.

Interestingly, the people who in the survey reported experiencing three or more symptoms related to Covid-19 such as sudden loss of smell and taste are also concentrated in the central provinces of the Peninsula, the ones most affected by the infection. Loss of sense of smell has been seen as one of the most frequent symptoms in the study.

There are no differences by sex and neither by age groups, although a lower prevalence has been seen in babies, children, and young people.

First X-ray

The study began on April 27 in most of the autonomous communities and has been prepared by the Ministry of Health, together with the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), the National Statistics Institute (INE), with the collaboration of the autonomous communities. 1,416 health centers and 2,600 health professionals participated.

The objective is to estimate the prevalence of infection of the new coronavirus in Spain by determining antibodies against the virus by autonomous community, province, age and sex. To do this, 90,000 people of all ages, communities and provinces will be studied in three waves, who are invited to participate by phone.

The results now presented are provisional and correspond to the rapid tests carried out on 60,983 people in this national investigation.

The samples have been obtained with a finger prick. But to ensure the reliability of the results, blood was also taken from the arm, as if it were a conventional analysis, in order to make a more accurate study. These results are not yet known because the results of all the autonomous communities are not yet available. In the following waves, you will have more accurate information.

Minister Duque stressed that this work is one of the "most solid" in Western countries, both due to the degree of representativeness it has and the number of tests carried out. “It is enormously ambitious and we are very proud of it. Science is supported by data, "he said.

Raquel Yotti, director of the Carlos III Health Institute, the analysis of these tests has been carried out by 28 microbiology laboratories located throughout Spain. Likewise, the participants have to answer an epidemiological questionnaire in order to know the existence of a previous diagnosis of Covid-19, the presence or history of symptoms compatible with this disease and the main known risk factors.