ARCHIVED - First case of Coronavirus in Orihuela puts Vega Baja on the viral map

Three cases were confirmed in the Alicante province on Wednesday evening

The Vega Baja comarca of the Alicante Province became the latest to join the growing list of coronavirus cases on Wednesday afternoon when it was revealed that a patient had been confined to  home after showing symptoms of the virus.

The regional minister for health, Ana Barceló confirmed on Wednesday evening that three cases had been detected in the Alicante province, as well as one further case in Valencia, bringing the total cases in the Valencia region to 22.

The three cases in Alicante province are two men and one woman, and all cases are currently considered to be mild. 

Two of the cases are a man and a woman, both of whom had recently returned from the high risk area in northern Italy. The third is a Vega Baja businessman working in the shoe manufacturing sector, who is believed to have contracted the virus at a shoe trade fair in Milan, the Feria del Calzado de Milán.

The new case in Valencia is another male, who had been in contact with an individual known to be suffering from the virus.

This brings the total in the Valencia Region to 22 confirmed cases, and 481 negative tests.

Earlier today it was confirmed that the first death in Spain from coronavirus had been in the Valencia Region on the 13th February, (at the time the death was attributed to pneumonia, but subsequent tests revealed the presence of coronavirus in the deceased) and this evening the minister announced that investigations would be opened into the deaths of two further individuals, both of whom had died apparently from pneumonia, but are now suspected to have been also suffering from coronavirus.

On Wednesday afternoon the Mayor of Alicante city, Luis Barcal, met with representatives from the tourism sector to discuss the coronavirus threat, stating that the city itself is "completely safe" and that the city is "following all of the recommendations established by the Ministry of Health." At the moment, he said, no cases have been detected in the city, and the tourism board sees no reason to cancel any of the forthcoming major events, congresses or reunions scheduled for the forthcoming months.

This of course, may change, following the developments this afternoon.

The Valencia regional government has facilitated a dedicated telephone line for those who have travelled to high risk areas or been in contact with known carriers; 900 300 555.

The death toll in Spain has tonight increased to two people; the second victim an 82 year old man from Euskadi who was suffering from pneumonia. 

Shortly before news of the death was made public the national government had announced the first specific measures to restrict the further spread of the virus, placing restrictions on events where large numbers of people are expected to gather including those travelling from countries considered to be risk areas, especially Italy. However, for the time being the temptation to close schools and implement other drastic measures is being resisted as hopes remain that the infection can be contained.

The restrictions announced will affect certain sporting events which are scheduled over the next few weeks, with top-level competitive fixtures being played behind closed doors, These include the return leg of football’s Champions League tie between Valencia and Atalanta on 10^th March – it was during the first leg in Italy that various Spanish fans and journalists contracted the virus – and the Europa League match between Getafe and Inter Milan on 19^th March, as well as European basketball matches featuring Valencia Basket and Baskonia against Olimpia Milan on 10^th and 25^th March.

The spread of the coronavirus throughout Spain continued on Wednesday as the number of confirmed cases rose to 213 during the afternoon, over a third of them in and around Madrid.

With the confirmation that the first case in the north-western region of Galicia has been identified only two of the 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain remain unaffected so far – Murcia and Aragón – but the government is refusing to be pressured into over-hasty action and is resisting calls for schools to be closed in certain areas, despite three children being among the new cases confirmed in Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha.

The news comes on the same day that the Italian government announced that it is considering the closure of all schools and universities until the middle of March.

At the latest count on Wednesday afternoon the distribution of the confirmed cases was as follows (although the figures do not add up to the total of 213 as details are not confirmed simultaneously by national and regional authorities):

Madrid – 76

Catalunya – 24

Comunidad Valenciana - 19

Basque Country - 17

Andalucía - 13 + 1 recovery

Castilla-La Mancha - 12

Castilla y León – 11

Cantabria – 10

Canary Islands - 7 + 1 recovery

Extremadura - 6

La Rioja – 5

Balearics - 5

Navarra - 3

Asturias – 4

Galicia - 1

Meanwhile, the total number of positive diagnoses worldwide has climbed to over 93,000, more than 80,000 of them in China, while the death toll is currently at 3,110, according to the World Health Organization.

Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest news, events and information in the Region of Murcia and the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/

The spread of the coronavirus throughout Spain continued on Wednesday as the number of confirmed cases rose to 213 during the afternoon, over a third of them in and around Madrid.

With the confirmation that the first case in the north-western region of Galicia has been identified only two of the 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain remain unaffected so far – Murcia and Aragón – but the government is refusing to be pressured into over-hasty action and is resisting calls for schools to be closed in certain areas, despite three children being among the new cases confirmed in Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha.

The news comes on the same day that the Italian government announced that it is considering the closure of all schools and universities until the middle of March.

The death toll remains at just one in Spain, the victim being a 69-year-old man who died three weeks ago after being admitted to the Hospital Arnau de Vilanova in Valencia with pneumonia, but it is only now that the autopsy results have confirmed that he had contracted the coronavirus. The victim had recently returned from a trip to Nepal and at the time the cause of his pneumonia was unknown, but retrospective analysis has now revealed that antibodies of Covid-19 were present in his body.

Shortly before news of the death was made public the national government had announced the first specific measures to restrict the further spread of the virus, placing restrictions on events where large numbers of people are expected to gather including those travelling from countries considered to be risk areas, especially Italy. However, for the time being the temptation to close schools and implement other drastic measures is being resisted as hopes remain that the infection can be contained.

The restrictions announced will affect certain sporting events which are scheduled over the next few weeks, with top-level competitive fixtures being played behind closed doors, These include the return leg of football’s Champions League tie between Valencia and Atalanta on 10^th March – it was during the first leg in Italy that various Spanish fans and journalists contracted the virus – and the Europa League match between Getafe and Inter Milan on 19^th March, as well as European basketball matches featuring Valencia Basket and Baskonia against Olimpia Milan on 10^th and 25^th March.

At the latest count on Wednesday afternoon the distribution of the confirmed cases was as follows (although the figures do not add up to the total of 213 as details are not confirmed simultaneously by national and regional authorities):

Madrid – 76

Catalunya – 24

Comunidad Valenciana - 19

Basque Country - 17

Andalucía - 13 + 1 recovery

Castilla-La Mancha - 12

Castilla y León – 11

Cantabria – 10

Canary Islands - 7 + 1 recovery

Extremadura - 6

La Rioja – 5

Balearics - 5

Navarra - 3

Asturias – 4

Galicia - 1

Meanwhile, the total number of positive diagnoses worldwide has climbed to over 93,000, more than 80,000 of them in China, while the death toll is currently at 3,110, according to the World Health Organization.

Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest news, events and information in the Region of Murcia and the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/