ICUs in Spain’s Mallorca near breaking point after surge in COVID-19 cases

INTENSIVE care units in Mallorca have reportedly reached breaking point as the number of coronavirus cases have skyrocketed.

The Balearic Department of Health yesterday warned that the ‘pressure on hospitals continues to advance at a devastating rate’ due to a record number of patients in the ICU.

At present, there are 92 people with COVID-19 in intensive care.

This surpasses the highest number recorded since the start of the pandemic and which previously stood at 88 patients on April 6.

In Son Espases, the island’s reference hospital, 43 of the 47 ICU beds reserved for COVID-19 patients are now occupied.

There are also only three empty beds available for patients without the virus.

Given the ‘concerning’ figures, the government say they are considering creating a makeshift ICU in the Palau de Congressos.

Meanwhile, 567 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 in the Balearic Islands in the last 24 hours, putting the total number of active cases at 5,436.

It comes as an outbreak of coronavirus has been detected in a recently vaccinated nursing home, leaving 15 elderly residents in hospital.

Yesterday, a total of 55 residents and six healthcare workers at the DomusVi residence in Costa d’en Blanes were diagnosed with COVID-19.

This was despite all of the elderly residents receiving the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on December 30.