Laurence Dollimore
ANDALUCIA has recorded 42 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, its deadliest day in a week.
The daily death count was only beaten in the past seven days last Tuesday, when 48 people lost their lives to the virus in a 24-hour period.
Granada, Jaen and Sevilla counted the most deaths Tuesday with seven each, followed by Malaga and Almeria with six each, Cadiz with five, Cordoba with three and Huelva with just one.
Meanwhile the southernmost region counted 1,366 new cases today, representing 292 more than yesterday and 586 more than Tuesday last week.
A total of 356 people overcame the virus in Andalucia between Monday and Tuesday.
According to the Junta, Cadiz was yet again the province with the most infections, counting 474 today.
It comes after the Junta ordered the closure of eight towns in the province, all situated in the Campo de Gibraltar area, after Gibraltar announced a lockdown and a discovery of the more contagious UK strain of the virus.
Malaga counted the second-most cases with 188, followed by Cordoba with 163, Almeria 150, Jaen 134, Sevilla 119, Granada 90 and Huelva 48.
Hospitalisations have also risen again Tuesday, with 56 more coronavirus patients admitted in the past 24 hours.
It brings the total number of patients to 1,054, of whom 218 are in intensive care units, six more than yesterday but seven fewer than seven days ago.
The hospital numbers are still a far cry from the peaks of wave one and two, where close to 3,000 people were admitted with coronavirus.
The incidence rate of the virus in Andalucia now stands at 142.71 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, well below the 272.2 national average.
In fact the most populous region in the country has the third lowest incidence rate, beaten only by the Canaries and Asturias.
The Junta will meet with the so-called committee of experts on January 8 to decide whether or not current restrictions will be tightened from January 10 onwards.
