Date Published: 19/08/2020
ARCHIVED - Catalonia reports 817 new cases and seven deaths from Covid in the last 24 hours
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
Mass screening is underway in urban areas of Barcelona
The Regional government of Catalonia, the Generalitat, has reported 817 new cases of coronavirus and seven deaths during the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in the region to date up to 115,811. (NB: Lower than the figure reported by the Spanish Health Ministry due to the Catalan Govt. including antibody test results in its figures)
Currently there are 617 people hospitalized for coronavirus, 18 less than those registered on Tuesday in the region, with 129 patients in intensiove care.
As well as a general increase in positive cases, the number of deaths reported is 7 in the last 24 hours. Figures reported by the regional Government are always higher than those published by the national health Ministry as the catalan government draws its figures from the funeral directors. These figures state that 12,906 people have died in Catalonia since the start of the pandemic.
Part of the increase in cases is due to mass screenings which are being carried out in the region to detect cases. One of these is in Barcelona City:
Mass screening in Torre Baró and El Besòs i el Maresme
Some 400 free viral tests are to be carried out every day from 15th to 19th August on people without symptoms. The goal of the screening is to find cases of asymptomatic people in areas with high numbers of cases and help break the transmission chain. Infection rates per 100,000 inhabitants between 28 July and 10 August stood at 510 in Torre Baró and 467 in El Besòs I el Maresme, while the average for Barcelona as a whole was 174.
Taking the test is free and people will be asked for their name and surname, address, contact number and individual healthcare card.
In Torre Baró (Nou Barris), testing will be done at the Torre Baró community centre on Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 7 pm. Tests will be carried out on people of all ages who are not ill.
In the neighbourhood of El Besòs i el Maresme, viral tests will be carried out on residents in a specific area where a high rate of Covid-19 cases has been detected: in the area between Carrer de Jaume Huguet, Rambla de Prim, Carrer de Llull and Carrer de Sant Ramon de Penyafort.
The tests will be carried out from 17 to 19 August in a mobile medical unit located in Carrer d’Alfons el Magnànim (between Carrer Jaume Huguet and Carrer Cristóbal de Moura).
This intensive screening and community intervention strategy will be carried out by the Barcelona Public Health Agency and the Catalan Health Ministry.
Image: Ayto-Barcelona