The number of people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus would have exceeded in recent weeks the highest recorded incidence in Spain since the appearance of the omicron variant in December 2021. This was determined by the program Covid-LOT from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), which weekly monitors the possible infectiousness of the university community.
This incidence would have reached a maximum of 5,400 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days during the month of July. That number would easily surpass the number of cases recorded in January 2022, just over 4,600, which was the previous peak.
Data on these infections are part of the first report of the Complutense Observatory Anticipa-Covid-19 of Emerging Infections, which periodically provides information on the evolution of the pandemic in our country and which aims to contribute to the dissemination of the results of ongoing investigations, namely those related to the pandemic.
Preparation of batches in the biosafety cabins of the COVID-LOT logistics laboratory, from the saliva samples collected every day from the staff of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) / UCM
No data on health infections
O Ministry of Health Last March, it stopped publishing data on infections, hospitalizations and deaths, as well as vaccination figures, while some Autonomous Communities had already stopped providing daily statistics.
Hence the importance of this observatory, which seeks to develop Tools against the pandemic and has a structure aimed at showing the ability of researchers to obtain productive synergies.
Last March, the Ministry of Health stopped releasing data on infections, hospitalizations and deaths, in addition to vaccination numbers.
In addition, the project is expected to ANTICIPA-UCMwhere this observatory is integrated, will allow the development of new structures for epidemiological analysis and collective response to this and other epidemics in the near future.
Technologies to prevent future pandemics
This project is already working on prevention of the current pandemic and those that may come in the future through a mixed approach of technology and applied research, from three technology platforms.
First, implementing diagnostic systems for disease and immune protection status. Second, applying disinfectant systems and products to control spaces free of covid-19 and other pathogens. And, finally, generating new vaccine immunogens and their vehicles against this disease, in addition to molecules that interfere with the virus infection, tested in a pre-clinical assay platform.
In this way, it is intended to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2, which has already caused more than 110,000 deaths in our country since March 2020.