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ARCHIVED - 42,800 rapid coronavirus testing kits ready for use in Murcia
Confirmed case numbers are likely to rise but analysts expect a plateau to be reached this week
It has been a long time coming, but as Holy Week begins the health service of the Region of Murcia (SMS) is finally ready to begin using over 42,000 coronavirus testing kits which will make it possible to gain a far better idea of the true extent of Covid-19, and to isolate patients who may be infected but are presenting only very mild symptoms or none at all.
Not only has a shipment of 20,000 testing kits ordered by the regional government finally arrived after a delay of various days, at the same time the first of another 22,800 kits supplied by the national government have also been delivered.
It has to be pointed out – and Manuel Villegas, the minister for health in the Murcia government, is one of the first to do so – that these tests are not wholly reliable and tend to give negative results during the first seven days after a patient has contracted the coronavirus. However, they are reported to have a sensitivity rating of between 64 and 80 per cent and are highly efficient at identifying patients who have already overcome the infection, as what they detect is the presence of antibodies which are produced by our immune systems in reaction to the presence of the virus.
In using the testing kits priority will be given, according to Sr Villegas, to medical and healthcare staff and other key sectors such as the forces of law and order, as well as those living or working in homes for the elderly and others in hospital. At the same time, as more tests arrive they will be administered to another 16,300 people who are isolated in their homes and being monitored by telephone, as well as 20,000 more who have presented no symptoms but are known to have come into contact with suspected cases.
Until now Murcia has been among the regions of Spain carrying out the fewest tests per million inhabitants, with a rate of 6,437. This is more than in the neighbouring Comunidad Valenciana, but far lower than in Asturias (16,269), Castilla-La Mancha (10,792), the Basque Country (10,104) and Galicia (10,445). However, alongside the new rapid tests which have now arrived Manuel Villegas also reports that in the coming days more of the more time-consuming PCR tests will be performed, with new facilities for collecting and analysing samples coming into operation in Yecla and Caravaca de la Cruz.
This, of course, is likely to cause the number of confirmed cases in Murcia to shoot up, but after that initial effect the hope is that the numbers of new cases and fatalities will begin to fall.
Remember: LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN. STAY AT HOME. STAY SAFE AND DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.
Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest updates locally for the Region of Murcia and the main information for the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/.
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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