More people are visiting pharmacies in Galicia in September with respiratory symptoms, and demand for some cold and flu medicines is rising. The change has renewed attention to Covid and other viruses after the summer break. It reflects a shift in everyday healthcare activity, but does not prove a new infection wave across Spain.
Attribution is the basic problem. Covid now circulates alongside other respiratory viruses. A cough or similar symptom cannot automatically be counted as a coronavirus case. The same caution applies to sales of medicines that ease those symptoms.
In Castilla and León, the rate of acute respiratory infections reached 312 cases per 100,000 residents in week 36, but regional authorities said it had not reached epidemic levels. Influenza remained almost negligible, at about 2 cases per 100,000, VIGIRA reported.
That distinction matters: the clearest signal so far comes from one region, not from Spain as a whole.
La Voz de Galicia reported more consultations and higher pharmacy sales of cold and flu medicines. Figures cited from the regional health service show that consultations for acute respiratory infections had risen by almost 7% week on week by 13 September, reaching 112 per 100,000 residents. Among children aged 0 to 4, the rate reached 466.1 per 100,000. Covid-related consultations increased by 59.3%, while consultations attributed to influenza fell by 11%.
These figures show what may be happening in Galicia during September. They do not show how respiratory infections are changing across the country. A rise in one autonomous community cannot define Spain's overall situation.
National surveillance data now need to distinguish these signals. Reports can show whether the rise seen in some areas is also appearing elsewhere in Spain, and whether Covid is driving it or several respiratory viruses are involved.
The World Health Organization's Global Respiratory Virus Activity Weekly Update N°595, published for week 36 of 2026, does not point to a sharp rise in Covid activity. Global influenza positivity was about 10%, while SARS-CoV-2 positivity remained low and stable. Until national comparisons are available, pharmacy demand is best treated as a sign of symptoms and public concern, not as a confirmed measure of transmission.
This differs from the regional disruption described in an earlier report. The current information describes neither a defined emergency nor a confirmed nationwide escalation. It points to more consultations and purchases, whose significance depends on wider surveillance.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control's Communicable Disease Threats Report for 12 to 18 September 2026 also places respiratory epidemiology within a broader overview of health threats. That framing calls for a view of several viruses, rather than a conclusion based on one symptom or medicine sales alone.
Regional authorities are preparing for the usual seasonal rise, not announcing an emergency. In La Rioja, vaccination against influenza and Covid in care homes was being planned from 21 September. Measures for schoolchildren and risk groups were to follow.
For residents, September's return to routine may bring more respiratory complaints. The available evidence does not justify calling that increase a new Covid wave in Spain. So far, Galicia has produced a regional signal worth monitoring, while national data and healthcare specialists are still needed before drawing a countrywide conclusion.
