Although the number of daily new cases on Wednesday reached the highest level since August 21 (257 as opposed to 284 in August), the current pressure on the health service is quite different.
Latest figures from the Balearic health ministry indicate that there are 2,784 active cases, whereas there were 8,259 on August 21. These cases are the number of people in hospital plus those being monitored by primary care. On Thursday, there were 22 Covid patients in intensive care, compared with 76 in August. There were 77 on wards; in August the figure was 219.
However, the figures for August were related to what was the "fifth wave", which reached its peak of cumulative incidence at the end of July. The current figures suggest that a "sixth wave" has started.
Specialist in public health and preventive medicine, Joan Carles March, accepts that the numbers will rise, but doesn't believe that this latest wave will result in similar numbers to those of the previous wave. "We are hardly going to reach the same figures, but we will need to continue analysing the data in order to get an accurate picture of what is going to happen in the coming weeks."