In Aragon, sales of Covid tests in pharmacies have doubled and the number of cases is rising

The majority of respiratory infections identified in primary health care settings are consistent with Covid-19. Moreover, many cases of this pathology remain undiagnosed. In recent weeks this increase in suspicion SARS-CoV-2 in health centers, and a good indicator of this, in the absence of more comprehensive information, is the increase in demand in Aragonese pharmacies for tests to detect this pathology, which has doubled in one month.

As confirmed by the Official College of Pharmacists of Zaragoza, in distribution warehouses sold twice as many tests than in the same period in May. What the professionals in the office confirm. Pharmacies admit that an increase in demand was recorded over the past month and became one of the signs of a slight increase in the incidence of coronavirus. This, in turn, is reflected in the wider adoption of surgical masks.

Raquel García, president of the College of Pharmacists of Zaragoza, said sales of tests are increasing after months of lack of supply of these products. Something is “good”, he says, because it indicates that “there is awareness that it could be Covid” and “measures are being taken” to contain infection and “prevent and protect others.”

Santiago Conde, a pediatrician from Barbastro, explains that he went from having no cases in children to having already treated four in the last two weeks: “Half of them were babies who came with a fever and a previous diagnosis in their parents. and the rest, slightly older children with “flu-like symptoms, fever, headache and muscle pain.”

Luis Miguel García, vice-president of the Aragonese Society of Family and Community Medicine (Samfyc), from Amparo Poch in Zaragoza, explains that respiratory symptoms or gastrointestinal processes are treated, but remembers that tests to confirm the pathology are no longer carried out: “They are considered as another viral picture“There is no point in testing in primary care settings at this time.” This scenario comes almost a year after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, in July 2023, when the disease was no longer notifiable. was integrated into the fight against acute respiratory infections.

At the Rebolería Medical Center in the capital of Aragon, Sara Giner, a final year resident in family medicine, explains that during consultations increase in the number of suspected and confirmed cases. He said the symptoms were typical of allergic rhinitis, “which turned out to be something startling, unknown and unexpected,” or a cold, and “again there are changes in taste.” The average age of the patient is about 50 years.

According to the latest report from the Acute Respiratory Infections Surveillance System (Sivira) of the Carlos III Institute of Health for the week of June 3 to 9, positivity in primary health care for covid In Aragon it exceeds 11.4% (four weeks ago it was 10.1), where 578 samples were taken, and in hospitals it is 12.5%.

“Good indicator of syndromic surveillance”

According to Nacho de Blas, epidemiologist and professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Zaragoza, the greatest demand in pharmacies is for rapid tests to detect Covid “usually this is a good indicator of syndromic surveillance”. That is, he points out, “the sale of tests correlates with the incidence of acute respiratory infections, and at this point in the year almost everything will be covid, because it is no longer flu season.” However, in the latest Epidemiological Bulletin of Aragon, “no significant increase in incidence was observed,” which, he explains, “may be due to the current “recording” system, which has many biases.”

As expected: “We may experience a summer wave like we have seen in previous years.”. And all this taking into account the fact that months have passed since the start of the joint vaccination campaign against influenza and Covid, and the level of immunization is decreasing. Coronavirus vaccination coverage last season was about 65% among people over 80 years of age; 54% – from 70 to 79 years old; and 32% in the 60 to 69 age group.

Federico Arribas from the Spanish Society of Epidemiology (SEE) reminds that they are still the same recommendations to follow in case of respiratory infection. In this sense Ministry of Health He posted a message on his social networks in which he indicated that although the symptoms are mild, caution must be maintained to protect the most vulnerable people:

recommendations

“People see that the incidence is growing, and anxiety is also growing.”

Anyone who wants to confirm whether headaches, muscle pain, fever or nasal congestion are consistent with Covid-19 can contact the pharmacy at: buy a quick test and get rid of doubts. There are two types: one that only recognizes coronavirus, or a combination one that also offers information about influenza A and B and respiratory syncytial virus.

From the Ortopedia Lerma pharmacy in Zaragoza, owner Daniel García Lerma explains the following: “In March and April, exclusive Covid tests were not sold.; in May there were 15; and in the first 17 days of June we had 30.” And the combination “that bothered people most during the winter,” which coincided with the flu epidemic, they sold 35 units in January; 30 in February; In March and April it fell to almost zero, in May it rose to 15, and in June it had already increased to 20.

A increase in sales which is also observed in other pharmacies and which is a reflection of the increase in cases compatible with this respiratory infection: “People understand that the incidence is growing, and anxiety is also growing.”. According to him, between May and June, sales of not only Covid tests, but also masks, mainly surgical ones, are growing. “This is positive,” he says, “because it shows that people have a sense of responsibility at the slightest symptom to protect yourself and others.

“The saliva tests were sold out at the pharmacy and now it was difficult for me to find them because, since the Covid pandemic was already over, the suppliers did not bring them,” explains García Lerma, a member of the orthopedics department. at the Official College of Pharmacists of Zaragoza. As he admits, “as soon as the labs start offering offers, people start demanding these products again.” “It’s not alarming”In particular, comparing it to the numbers that were achieved during the health crisis: “It’s now very confused with cold or allergy symptoms.”

It has also been found that symptoms may primarily affect the digestive tract, at least in a mild form. As the pharmacist notes, “also coincided with gastrointestinal viruses“People,” he says, “come with many symptoms, and they are all very similar.” Add to this the sharp drop in temperature last week, when cold symptoms intensified. Hygiene and sanitary measures in these cases “proved to be effective.” and “we must not forget about them, even if we try to normalize them.”