![\"Very](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_Very-sick-young-woman-sitting-on-a-couch-holding-her-forearm-and-handkerchief-at-her-nose-fighting.webp\")
Experts say air conditioning is to blame for the spread of Covid in Spain(Image: SimpleImages via Getty Images)<\/p>\nHealth officials in Spain have warned of a new ‘summer Covid’ variant that is spreading quickly in one of the country’s most popular tourist hotspots<\/p>\n
Jamie Brassington Senior reporter and Sarah Barltrop<\/p>\n
12:51, 27 Aug 2025Updated 19:01, 27 Aug 2025<\/p>\n
Experts say air conditioning is to blame for the spread of Covid in Spain(Image: SimpleImages via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Covid cases have surged in a Spanish tourist hotspot beloved by UK holidaymakers<\/a> this summer. Healthcare experts are calling the infection, known as variant ‘XFG’, “the new flu”, with symptoms appearing far milder than during the pandemic.<\/p>\n Despite flu<\/a> typically striking during winter months, air conditioning is believed to be spreading the virus in sweltering conditions across Malaga, Spain<\/a>. A pharmacy owner in the capital, Asuncio\u0301n Pe\u0301rez de la Masa, revealed: “Covid tests are selling out again.”, reports Birmingham Live<\/a>.<\/p>\n “We’re noticing this throughout the month of August,” she explained, speaking to Diario Sur. She emphasised that testing remains crucial for those caring for elderly relatives.<\/p>\n Family GP and vice president of the College of Physicians, Jose\u0301 Antonio Trujillo, explained why the summer coronavirus<\/a> dubbed “the new flu” is spreading rapidly.<\/p>\n He noted the scorching weather<\/a> forces people indoors with air conditioning systems running, whilst shutting doors to preserve cool temperatures, but cases climb because air conditioning “increases transmission”.<\/p>\n Sources consulted by the Ma\u0301laga Medical Association confirmed “the incidence is on the rise”, reports Diario Sur.<\/p>\n This strain is thought to be relatively mild compared to previous surges, and presently, there is no indication that coronavirus infections are presenting with severe symptoms. The jabs given to residents of Malaga in the previous vaccination drive are believed to provide protection against the current COVID variant.<\/p>\n In the UK, the Spring COVID-19<\/a> vaccination phase has concluded, and the NHS will get in touch with individuals later this year if they qualify for the winter COVID-19 vaccine.<\/p>\n