Catalan health chief warns hospitals ‘under a lot of strain’ amid COVID rise

By AP 18 July 2021, 7:48 pm

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MADRID — The head of the Catalan regional health service says a new peak of COVID-19 infections at the end of this month could place hospitals under severe pressure, just as some staff go on their summer vacations.

Gemma Craywinckel tells RAC1 radio in an interview today that the northeastern Spanish region could see as many as 500 people in intensive care within two weeks, up from the current almost 300.

She says the Catalan public health system is already “under a lot of strain,” due to a surge in infections blamed on the Delta variant.

Craywinckel says authorities had failed to convey to local people the danger that the Delta variant represented. She also criticizes people who have confronted police officers enforcing a night-time curfew.