Pharmacies in Galicia are seeing more consultations for respiratory symptoms and stronger demand for cold medicines. The increase is regional and does not yet show that Spain is facing a new nationwide Covid wave.
More people are visiting pharmacies in September with respiratory symptoms. Demand for some cold and flu medicines is rising too. The change has been reported in Galicia and has renewed attention around Covid and other viruses after the summer break. It shows a shift in everyday healthcare activity, but it does not prove a new infection wave across Spain.
The main problem is attribution. 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.
В Кастилии-и-Леоне показатель ОРВИ достиг 312 случаев на 100 000 жителей в 36-ю неделю, однако региональные власти сообщили, что эпидемического уровня пока нет. Грипп при этом оставался почти незаметным — около 2 случаев на 100 000.
That distinction matters because the clearest signal so far comes from one region, not from Spain as a whole.
La Voz de Galicia reported more consultations and higher sales of antigripales in pharmacies. 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.
В еженедельном обновлении ВОЗ за 36-ю неделю 2026 года глобальная положительность по гриппу оценивалась примерно в 10%, тогда как положительность по SARS-CoV-2 оставалась низкой и стабильной. ECDC также рассматривает ситуацию в Европе в контексте нескольких респираторных вирусов, а не как подтверждённую новую вспышку Covid.
National surveillance data now need to separate these signals. The reports can show whether the rise seen in some areas is also appearing elsewhere in Spain. They can also show whether Covid is driving it or whether 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 is different from the regional disruption described in an earlier report. The current information does not describe a defined emergency or a confirmed nationwide escalation. It describes more consultations and purchases whose meaning 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 on 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, the practical message is simple. The return to routine in September may bring more respiratory complaints. The available evidence does not justify calling that increase a new Covid wave in Spain. So far, the strongest conclusion is a cautious one: Galicia has produced a regional signal worth monitoring, while national data and healthcare specialists are still needed before drawing a countrywide conclusion.
