Outbreak risk soars in Catalonia as coronavirus cases continue to rise

iEPG at 234, reaching maximum levels since second Covid-19 wave started

Health professional examining PCR tests (by ICS Girona)
Health professional examining PCR tests (by ICS Girona) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

October 7, 2020 09:02 PM

The risk of coronavirus outbreaks in Catalonia is quickly soaring according to health officials as the number of people infected with Covid-19 continues to rise by over a thousand every day.

The outbreak risk (or iEPG, calculated by multiplying the average spread of the virus over the past seven days by the cumulative incidence over the past two weeks) is considered to be low at 30, moderate at 70 and high at 100 – right now, Catalonia is at 234.14.

The figure has increased by 70 points in only a week – the outbreak risk has been oscillating roughly from 150 to 200 points for almost three months, and it is now in its highest level in the second wave, reaching levels of early April, when the pandemic was at its peak.

On Wednesday, another 1,477 positive PCR tests were confirmed, totalling 175,596 since the start of the pandemic.

Over the last week, 9,160 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed — the highest weekly increase of the second wave.