Years after the pandemic, Covid surges but no hospitalisations 

Six years after the pandemic, cases of Covid have surged in Gibraltar but have resulted in no hospitalisations, leading to questions about how long vaccine campaigns will continue to be offered. 

The Director of Public Health, Dr Helen Carter, told this newspaper there has been a spike in Covid cases locally with a handful detected through Elderly Residential Services and many more cases in the community, although the absence of routine testing means exact numbers are difficult to establish. 

“We see the tip of the iceberg,” Dr Carter said. 

Dr Carter said symptoms present as a cold, with headaches, sore throats and diarrhoea, and the virus is much milder than its peak during the pandemic, resulting in no hospitalisations. 

She strongly encouraged the public not to visit patients in the hospital if they have any symptoms. 

“We’re doing our best to keep it out of hospital,” Dr Carter said. 

She said the GHA is reminding staff to check themselves for symptoms before a shift. 

When it comes to vaccination, the winter campaign this year will see some changes.  

The Covid vaccine has been “decoupled” from the flu vaccine after public concern that, upon attendance, a person could receive the wrong vaccine. 

This means the vaccine campaigns will be held separately, which Dr Carter said has improved seasonal flu vaccine uptake. She said this is due largely because of Covid vaccine fatigue. 

She encouraged the public to take up the offer and get their vaccines through the GHA’s mobile health unit or by calling up the PCC. 

Dr Carter said some countries have stopped offering the Covid jab and she will be assessing next year whether the vaccine is needed. 

“I can see a point where we stop immunising against Covid,” she said. 

Last year, people were hospitalised because of the flu and Dr Carter said if a person is only willing to have one vaccine, it should be the flu vaccine. 

Dr Carter looks at countries in the Southern Hemisphere, like Australia, for which flu strains are circulating during their winter for what to expect in Gibraltar. 

She underscored that the flu strain changes every year so it is important for those at risk to be vaccinated.