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ARCHIVED - 125 coronavirus cases in 8 homes for the elderly in the Region of Murcia
Over 60 infections and 4 deaths at the Caser centre in Santo Ángel with 21 patients in critical condition
After it came to light earlier in the week that the first case of a fatality due to Covid-19 had been recorded in a resident at one of the many homes for the elderly in the Region of Murcia the situation has escalated to the point where as many as 125 people related to such establishments have now tested positive, with 5 people having died.
Those infected are 84 residents and 26 staff, according to the Health department of the regional government, with the highest figures relating to the Caser residence in Santo Ángel where the first victim was a resident. 43 residents and 22 staff at Caser have tested positive (including the centre Director) and four of the deaths are related to the centre – 21 of the patients are reported to be in critical condition - while the other fatality was a resident at the Orpea centre in Cartagena: a further 17 cases have been confirmed at Orpea while various of the staff are awaiting the results of their tests.
The other residences affected include the Manuel Campillo in Santomera (16 residents, all of them now in hospital, and one member of staff) the Altavida in Abanilla (5 residents) and the Santa Isabel in Villanueva del Río Segura, where one member of staff has been in quarantine for the last week, while three positive test results have been issued at the La Milagrosa convent in Murcia.
At the Caser centre in Santo Ángel the SMS regional health service have taken over the building and the situation is described by Manuel Villegas, the minister for Health in the Murcia government, as being “very delicate”. Families of the residents are reported, unsurprisingly, to be furious at the way in which the outbreak was allowed to escalate.
Earlier in the week members of the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) found residents dead in their beds at homes where they were disinfecting carehome premises, a revelation made during a television interview with Margarita Robles, the Minister for Defence, which has understandably outraged members of the public. There have been numerous reports of multiple deaths in residences for the elderly, particularly in the north of the country, and on Monday the regional government of Murcia announced that it was taking over the Caser residence in Santo Ángel following the death of an 87-year-old resident just hours after the management had claimed that there were no cases of Covid-19 to report.
As a result the central government passed strict new measures allowing regional governments to take over homes for the elderly and even use them as hospitals for the sick as well as bring in medical personnel to run them.
With the considerable benefit of hindsight, it could be said that the coronavirus has highlighted deep faults in the Spanish care system. Private old people’s homes must make a profit while at the same time charging people prices they can afford, which may be a basic pension of just over 9,000 euros per year.
As a result, the homes are often understaffed and unprepared, and many were quickly overwhelmed thorughout Spain, with death rates of up to 20 per cent.
Similarly, while Spain has a magnificent primary healthcare system, its hospitals have been hit by a decade of austerity since the financial crisis and there are only a third of the hospital beds per capita provided by Austria or Germany (although more than in the UK and the USA).
Image: Members of the Military Emergencies Unit disinfecting a home for the elderly in Galicia on Thursday
Remember: LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN. STAY AT HOME. STAY SAFE AND DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.
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Our local area groups are as follows. These are designed to filter locally specific information and may be used by clubs, charities, any of the businesses who work with us to ensure information is available to residents in English and for those living in the specific areas. They are not buy and sell groups, do not accept any bickering or argumentative so and so's, are not "open for any old rubbish" pages, and are not trying to compete with your local comunity groups, they are specifically for sharing good, relevant local information and we hope you will use them for that during this difficult time.
Around Mazarrón news, events and local info: Click to join
Mazarrón, Fuente Álamo, Águilas, Lorca, Totana, Puerto Lumbreras, Camposol, Alhama de Murcia. Click to join (all within a half hour drive of each other)
Mar Menor news, events and local info. Click to join (this includes all the Mar Menor municipalities and Cartagena)
North-west Murcia: Bullas, Mula, Cehegin, Caravaca, Cieza, Calasparra, Jumilla, Moratalla info. Click to join
What to do if you are in the Region of Murcia and believe you may have contracted the virus
The regional government has set up a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212) if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre.
Sensible precautions
The advice being issued to members of the public by medical authorities all over the world coincides on the following points:
- Wash hands frequently with either soap and water or a sanitiser gel
- Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues – and throw the tissues away immediately after use before immediately washing your hands!
- If you don’t have a tissue, use your sleeve – and wash the item of clothing used at the next opportunity
- AVOID touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
- AVOID close contact with people who are unwell
- Don´t panic!
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