Barcelona hospital reveals level of strain caused by pandemic

THE unrelenting increase in Covid19 infections in Spain following the festive season is again putting a strain on hospitals and threatening the mental health of doctors and nurses who have been at the forefront of the pandemic for nearly a year.

In Barcelona’s Hospital del Mar, the critical care capacity has more than doubled and is nearly full, with 80% of ICU beds occupied by coronavirus patients. “There are young people of 20-something years old and older people of 80 years old, all the age groups,” said Dr Joan Ramon Masclans, who heads the ICU. “This is very difficult, and it is one patient after another.”

Even though authorities allowed gatherings of up to ten people for Christmas and new year celebrations, Dr Masclans chose not to join his family and spent the holidays at home with his partner. “We did it to preserve our health and the health of others and, when you see that this is not being done [by others] it causes significant anger, added to the fatigue,” he added.

A study released this month by Hospital del Mar looking at the impact of the spring’s Covid-19 surge on more than 9,000 health workers across Spain found that at least 28% suffered major depression. That is six times higher than the rate in the general population before the pandemic, said Dr Jordi Alonso, one of the chief researchers.

In addition, the study found that nearly half of participants had a high risk of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks or substance and alcohol abuse problems.