The number of Covid patients on hospital wards in the Balearics has fallen below 100. The 98 patients, as reported by the regional health ministry on Sunday, represent the lowest number since the second week of August.
Over the course of February, the number of patients on wards has dropped by more than 300. On February 1, there were 264 patients in Mallorca, 143 in Ibiza and 20 in Minorca. There are now, respectively, 54, 42 and two. While there have been days when hospital numbers have risen, the overall trend has been downward and quite significantly so.
This is also the case in intensive care units. On February 4, there was a peak in the number of patients - 140, with 108 patients in Mallorca, 25 in Ibiza and seven in Minorca. The current number is 50 - 37 Mallorca, eleven Ibiza, two Minorca - and is much the same as it was in August, when infection levels rose sharply.
While the overall pressure on the hospitals has eased considerably, the number of ICU patients remains high. The health service had predicted that there would not be an easing until the middle of February because of the higher number of infections during the third wave and longer stays. Nevertheless, on February 14, the total number of patients in ICU was 91, so the downward trend has been evident throughout February.