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Date Published: 08/03/2020

ARCHIVED - First case of coronavirus in the Murcia Region confirmed

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

The number of cases nationally has risen to around 589 with 10 confirmed deaths

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - First case of coronavirus in the Murcia Region confirmed

The Murcian regional health authority has this morning confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the region, a 27 year old female, originally from Madrid, who is believed to have contracted the virus on a recent journey home to Madrid.

The patient is currently receiving treatment in the Virgen de la Arrixaca hospital in Murcia City, and has been isolated in the UAAN, the high level isolation unit.

The affected woman resides in the La Churra outlying district of the municipality of Murcia city (municipio de Murcia) and is believed to have caught the virus after attending the ARCO contemporary arts fair in Madrid last week, after coming in contact with another person in Madrid who has also tested positive, but remains in Madrid.

She called the 112 services on Saturday after showing the first symptoms of the virus, and was tested at home by a mobile unit. The test proved to be positive and she was taken to the Arrixaca, where a second test also proved to be positive.

More than 150 other people have been tested for possible contagion in the region, but this is the first case to have yielded a positive result. The authorities are currently attempting to identify and test all of those believed to have been in contact with the patient since her return from Madrid and those closest to the patient have already been placed into quarantine.

Madrid has the highest number of cases recorded in Spain to date, and nationally there are now more than 523 cases reported, although the exact figure is proving difficult to ascertain as the last official set of statistics put out by the Spanish National Ministry of Health was at 12 midday on Saturday, when there were still only 430 cases officially listed.

Since then, further reports and confirmations have continued to be reported nationally, the latest count being around 523, according to national media who are attempting to gather information.

10 people are now confirmed to have died in Spain, all of them of advanced age and suffering from pre-existing medical conditions, although the real figure is believed to be higher, as some deaths attributed to pneumonia are now being questioned and tests re-analysed seeking the coronavirus. The first confirmed death in Spain early in February was orignally attributed to pneumonia, and the deceased was only confirmed as having died from coronavirus last week.

The regional government has taken steps to limit any potential spread of the epidemic including recommending the cancellation of school trips, the setting up of a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212), urging people to call the 112 emergency services line if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre, suspending the practical experience being gained by students of Medicine and Nursing at the University of Murcia in the Region’s public hospitals and limiting the number of visitors to patients in the region's hospitals to just one visitor per patient.

The regional government is urging calm and nationally measures are being studied by the Spanish government folowing the dramatic turn of events yesterday in Italy when the government quarantined almost 16 million people.

All regions of Spain now have confirmed cases of coronavirus.

Figures confirmed by the health ministyry on sunday morning: 589 cases nationwide

Comunidad de Madrid 202

País Vasco; Basque Country (102)

Cataluña (49)

La Rioja (55)

La Comunidad Valenciana which includes Alicante province (37)

Andalucía (35)

Castilla y León (22)

Canary Islands (17)

Castilla-La Mancha (15)

Cantabria (12)

Aragón (13)

Asturias (7)

Balearic Islands (8)

Extremadura (6)

Galicia (5)

Navarra (3)

Murcia (1).

10 deaths, 30 recoveries.

The Spanish health ministry maintains that 92% of the known cases in Spain relate to individuals who have returned to Spain carrying the virus after a trip abroad, cases which they denominate as "imported", for which reason they currently see no need to change the status of the virus as in a "contention phase."

The biggest single outbreak is in La Rioja, where "exceptional measures" have been imposed following the diagnosis of 60 cases in the areas of Haro, Casalarreina and Álava. All those diagnosed had attended the same funeral in Vittoria two weeks ago. The Guardia Civíl has been called in to reinforce the compulsory quarantine of the 12,000 residents and will maintain a "discreet vigilance" to impose the quarantine of those who have been placed under compulsory isolation. Information on social media however, points to the vigilance being less than discreet and the national media report that a police chase took place after one of those infected left the house on Thursday. The new measures being enforced by the regional authorities include a minimum fine of 3,000 euros for anyone diagnosed with coronavirus and under quarantine attempting to leave their homes and break the isolation order.

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 of 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

6. Don´t panic.

Symptoms

Although over 80,000 cases have been diagnosed worldwide there is still no definitive description for the standard development of symptoms, but they seem to start with a fever and tiredness, followed by a dry cough. After a week or so these lead to shortness of breath and some patients require hospital treatment.

Muscle pain and headaches can also accompany the early symptoms, along with nasal congestion, sore throat or diarrhoea: in short, they are not at all dissimilar to those associated with flu.

These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don't feel unwell. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment. Around 1 out of every 6 people who gets COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing, this being most likely in older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes.(WHO says that 81% will develop mild symptoms, 14% severe symptoms and only 5% will become critically ill). At the moment, between 1 and 2% are dying from the disease, but at the moment this figure is difficult to corroborate.

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