Spain’s Latest Coronavirus Outbreaks Affect the Young and Middle-Aged

They are trying to screen and isolate the new infections, which are taking place mostly among the young, who in Spain and countries across the world are ignoring social distancing and the middle-aged.

The average age of a virus patient in Spain has fallen from 63 in the spring to 45 now and “the pressure on the health system is low,” said Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa.

Since the virus takes a heavier toll on the elderly, younger coronavirus patients means more who have milder symptoms.

Spain's improved testing capacity makes a comparison to the start of the pandemic difficult.

In February, March and April, a shortage of tests meant that only the very sick who were admitted to hospitals were tested and that a significant number of coronavirus cases went undetected.

Now, local clinics are discovering many more infections among those who don’t show symptoms.

“We are in a different situation (than the spring) because right now we have tests available,” said Dr. Miriam Ceña, director of the health clinics in Sant Sadurni D’Anoia, which is seeing a jump in cases like the area around Barcelona, Catalonia’s largest city.

“We are in a situation of risk and alert. We don’t want to alarm the population, but we want the population to be responsible,” Ceña said. 

In March, there was the lockdown so the situation was under more control. Right now, there is free movement and socializing and those are a risk of contagion.”

The surge in new infections is sure to add to the drastic contraction of Spain's economy by slamming hopes of reactivating the country's critical tourism sector.

The economy has already dropped 18 percent in the second quarter — its biggest dip since Spain's 1936-39 Civil War.

Britain has placed a 14-day quarantine on travelers returning from Spain, while France, Germany, and Belgium have all issued travel warnings or discouraged trips to northeast Spain.

Authorities have for several weeks warned about the danger of new outbreaks, but experts predicted they would likely occur in the colder months.

Instead, the surge has come in mid-summer, when Spaniards are eager to reconnect with family and friends, and hotels, restaurants, and shops are counting on both domestic and foreign tourists to cushion the pandemic's blow to their balance sheets.

Spain must now pull off the delicate balancing act of managing the health crisis while reactivating its economy.