Date Published: 12/01/2021
ARCHIVED - All hospitals in the Region cancel non-urgent surgery due to soaring covid rates
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
Some ICU units are already full and new areas are being prepared for further admissions
On Tuesday the Murcia region reported the highest number of cases for a single day since the pandemic began, following on from a record week last week in which the region recorded the highest number of cases in a single week since March last year when the first cases were reported in the region.
Hospitalisations have increased by 52 patients during the last 24 hours and during the Tuesday press conference given by the spokesman for the regional health authority, Jaime Pérez warned again that health centers are going to face "very hard" times in the coming days.
Although the region’s hospitals are already under significant pressure, they have the capacity to take in larger numbers of intensive care patients, but in order to do this, beds normally allocated for post-surgical procedures and recovery rooms must be utilised, so for this reason the decision has been taken to suspend non-urgent surgical procedures in all of the hospitals across the region. Only those operations considered as priorities will be carried out, in addition to emergencies.
At the moment the main problems with intensive care occupancy are in the hospitals in the City of Murcia; ICU units in the Morales Meseguer and the Reina Sofía are currently totally full.
Other areas of the hospitals are being prepared for the use of covid patients.
Health centres also under pressure
A total of 46 of the 85 health centres in the Region of Murcia are at red level, which means that appointments must be booked in advance as the facilities of the centres are dedicated principally to dealing with covid patients due to the high number of cases locally.
If you do think you may have contracted Covid-19, call 900 12 12 12 for a Covid test; do NOT go down to the local health centre or consultario and you will be given an appointment for a test at the nearest testing centre.
Health centres on red level:
Area I (Murcia Oeste ): La Alberca, Aljucer, Algezares, Mula, Sangonera la Verde, Alcantarilla Sangonera la Seca, El Palmar, Campo de Cartagena, Murcia San Andrés and Espinardo.
Area II (Cartagena) those of Cartagena San Antón, La Unión, Molinos Marfagones, Los Dolores, Isaac Peral, La Manga, Cartagena Este, Los Barreros and Santa Lucía
Area III (Lorca) San Diego, Caravaca de la Cruz and Moratalla
Area IV (Northwest); Jumilla
Area V (Altiplano); Abanilla and Fortuna
Area VI (Vega Media del Segura), and Cieza Este
Area IX (Vega Alta del Segura).
Area VII (Murcia East) Santomera, Puente Tocinos, Monteagudo, Llano de Brujas, El Infante, Alquerías, El Carmen, Beniaján, Floridablanca, Murcia Sur and Vistabella
Area VIII (Mar Menor) Los Alcázares, San Pedro del Pinatar, San Javier, Torre Pacheco Este and Torre Pacheco Oeste.