GENEVA

Spanish hospitals are having a hard time dealing with the increased number of people with flu, overwhelming the emergency services of a dozen autonomous communities, according to local media reports.

Up to 12 communities, including Madrid, Catalonia, and Valencia, are already experiencing problems in the emergency departments, reports said.

The Spanish broadcaster La Sexta, citing unions, reported Tuesday that hospital congestion is already reflected in patients in the corridors, crammed into rooms and even in offices.

Meanwhile, the waiting time for admission is up to 65 hours, except in one case reaching 88 hours at the Royo Villanova Hospital in Zaragoza. Some regional governments, such as Catalonia and the Valencian Community, have made the use of masks mandatory in hospitals and nursing homes in an attempt to curb the rise in infections.

Factors such as fewer vaccinations and the return to school, college, and work, combined with the cold weather these days, influenced the increase in infections, the report said.

The flu vaccine could reduce mortality by 50% in people aged over 65, according to a recent study by Estanislao Nistal Villan, a virologist and lecturer in microbiology at the CEU San Pablo University, who noted that the vaccines are "highly protective against severe disease and death."