Date Published: 18/09/2020
ARCHIVED - 2 deaths and 675 new covid cases in the last 24 hours; Murcia Friday 18th September
ARCHIVED ARTICLE This is another record total for cases in a single day and brings the active cases up to 7,097
Yesterday the regional Minister for Health, Manuel Villegas, asked that residents of the region consider the rising number of cases in the region and help to stop the spread of the virus by self-isolating at home for a month.
However, the seeds have already been sown and the virus has been quietly spreading amongst the population, the majority of cases asymptomatic or mild, undetected, but quietly contagious and is now widespread, the same scenario playing out in other countries across Europe.
As Spain becomes better at testing and contact tracing, cases that would have remained undetected in the spring during the “first wave” of the pandemic are now being detected, the logical result being that the death rate appears to have fallen, but as is being pointed out by the author of mathematical simulations from Murcia University (see round-up yesterday), the virulity of covid and its lethality for those now known to be more vulnerable hasn´t changed, the mortality rate has only declined because we are detecting more mild cases.
The Murcian regional government is now being supported by 30 military contact tracers, and has set up more covid testing points, and as the known contacts of positive cases are being called in for testing so the positive cases are increasing.
Yesterday the region carried out a record number of PCR tests; 4,220 which has yielded 675 positive cases, the highest number for a 24 hour period, since the pandemic first reached Spain in February and a 51% increase compared to yesterday.
Yesterday the tests yielded 12% of positives, but in the last 24 hours, this has risen to 15.9%.
To date, the regional health authority has carried out 204,768 PCR tests.
The 675 new cases diagnosed in the last 24 hours brings the total number of ACTIVE CASES diagnosed by PCR to 7,097, which is 314 higher than yesterday (taking into account the recoveries) and brings the total number of cases in the region to date up to 15,806.
The new cases are distributed around the region as follows: 156 new cases in Murcia, 118 in Lorca, 43 in Totana, 41 in Jumilla, 32 in Cartagena, 30 in Yecla, 26 in Alhama de Murcia, 25 in Archena, 23 in Alcantarilla, 22 in Molina de Segura, 16 in Mazarrón, 13 in Caravaca de la Cruz, 13 in Mula, 11 in Cieza, 11 in Torre Pacheco, 8 in Beniel, 8 in Santomera, 7 in San Javier, 6 in Lorquí, and 6 in Puerto Lumbreras.
NB; These figures below have not been updated by the health service on Friday and relate to THURSDAY. When they are this post will be updated, so the additional cases above can be added to those below to give a rough idea of how many cases are in each municipality, taking into consideration that the only way to locate the recoveries is when the figures below are updated!.
Cases diagnosed during the last 7 days, followed by rate per 100,000 of population (IA rate).
The regional average is 212, so anything below that figure is low.
Note, the first figure shown is the actual number of cases diagnosed in the last 7 days, the second is the IA rate for the last 7 days: In brackets the number of cases is indicated as either a positive or negative compared to the situation on the previous day)
Abanilla 2/36 (0) ( This means 2 cases in the last two weeks and an IA rate of 36, so very low, with no change in case numbers from yesterday)
Abarán 13/100 (+3)
Águilas 23/65 (-1)
Albudeite 0
Alcantarilla 94/223 (-7)
Aledo 3/293 (+2)
Los Alcázares 30/185 (+8)
Alguazas 9/93 (-9)
Alhama de Murcia 71/321 (+7)
Archena 46/238 (-8)
Beniel 32/282 (+3)
Blanca 7/107 (+2)
Bullas 13/112 (+2)
Calasparra 1/9
Caravaca de la Cruz 47/182 (-4)
Cartagena 206/95 (-18)
Cehegín 20/133
Ceutí 29/246
Cieza 53/151 (+11)
Fortuna 22/207 (-1)
Fuente Álamo 31/186 (-2)
Jumilla 239/933 (+15)
Librilla 3/56
Lorca 490/512 (-6)
Lorquí 35/490
Mazarrón 53/164(-15)
Molina de Segura 111/154 (-17)
Moratalla 5/63 (+1)
Mula 57/337 (-2)
Murcia 768/169 (-18)
Ojós 0
Pliego 2/52
Puerto Lumbreras 7/45 (-1)
Ricote 1/79
San Javier 55/169 (+5)
San Pedro del Pinatar 34/133 (-4)
Santomera 25/154 (+3)
Torre Pacheco 111/311 (+2)
Las Torres de Cotillas 36/167 (-17)
Totana 207/646 (+65)
La Unión 41/202 (-7)
Villanueva del Río Segura 10/343 (-2)
Yecla 86/249 (+9)
Those from other regions diagnosed in Murcia 51
Total 3172 . Acumulated IA rate in the last 7 days: 212
Fatalities:
There were two fatalities due to coronavirus yesterday; two males from Lorca aged 65 and 79 respectively, bringing the total deaths in the region to 189. This is the tenth consecutive day on which fatalities have been reported in the region, and brings the total for this month up to 29.
Hospitalisations:
There are now 6,780 personas in home isolation, 327 more than yesterday. The total of recoveries has risen to 6,814, with 317 classified as recovered in the last 24 hours.
There are now 317 patients hospitalised, with more severe cases, a fall of 13 when compared to yesterday. The number of ICU patients has risen by one in the last 24 hours, to 59.
This is still just above 50% of ICU capacity, given that the region has 115 ICU beds in total.