06-02-2021P. Pellicer

The Health Department has been unable to trace the source of 86% of coronavirus infections in Mallorca, 91.6% in Minorca and 70% in Ibiza.

The traceability index indicates what percentage of cases are due to contacts with people who are infected and measures whether it is known who infected whom and if the healthcare system can track the chain of transmission of the virus.

A very high rate indicates that the Health Authorities know how contagions occur and can implement direct measures to deal with outbreaks. A very low rate, such as in Mallorca and Minorca, indicates that contacts haven’t been detected and the pandemic is out of control.

Mallorca and Minorca are two of the territories in Spain with the least control over the origin of infections.

Elsewhere, 90.7% of sources of infection are unknown in Cádiz; 83.9% in Madrid; 89.9% in the province of Ciudad Real; 89.2% in Gran Canaria and 90.5% in Lanzarote.

Trackers are responsible for calling all the close contacts of people who’ve been diagnosed with coronavirus so that they can be quarantined to avoid spreading the disease, but if the contacts are unknown it’s impossible to track the source of infection and that's apparently what's happening in Mallorca and Minorca.

The traceability index is also important because it's one of the indicators that’s taken into account for de-escalation. If traceability is less than 30%, that territory is at extreme risk and can only be moved to high risk if traceability increases to 30-50%, but the figures are a long way from that in the Islands, according to the Ministry of Health.

Other factors taken are into account for de-escalation, including the cumulative incidence at 14 days 7 days; the cumulative incidence at 14 days 7 days amongst those over the age of 65; the overall positivity of diagnostic tests, how many people are on the Covid ward and in the ICU.

The cumulative incidence and positivity rate has been declining for weeks and the vaccination programme will help lower pressure on hospital staff, but the traceability percentage is still too low to begin de-escalation.






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Yogi / Hace 25 days

Which begs the question: How do they know what works in reducing transmission and what are the reasons for continuing transmission? Answer: they haven’t a clue. Just lock it all down, close businesses, put the economy in a coma and hope for the best.


Sarah / Hace 25 days

We have witnessed, on several occasions, that the local health system simply do not follow up any of the contacts they are given. I have 10 friends in Sóller that contracted Covid this and last year and their lists were simply never called up or contacted in any way nor were the people that they were living with even tested. Mallorca cannot even take care of their own so even talking about opening up for tourism is ridiculous.