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ARCHIVED - Rapid coronavirus testing kits on the way to Murcia
640,000 kits throughout Spain to provide test results in 15 minutes without patients leaving their cars
Spain’s national government is doing its utmost to ensure that rapid coronavirus testing kits are made available as quickly as possible throughout the country in order to make it possible for accurate and up-to-date information to be gathered concerning the spread of Covid-19, enabling results to be obtained in just 15 minutes or so.
Until now between 15,000 and 20,000 tests have been carried out per day nationally, but as the virus spreads with the number of confirmed cases having reached almost 30,000 and lab technicians facing a sizeable backlog this is not enough to keep up with the pandemic in this country. In response, the Ministry of Health has purchased 640,000 rapid testing kits similar to those which have been used with success in South Korea, and at the same time four robots capable of processing 80,000 tests a day have been acquired.
The role of the robots is to perform the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) analysis instead of relying on lab technicians to do the job, and such automated analysis techniques are already in use in the USA. In China robots are also used to deliver medication to patients, and at the same time drones equipped with special cameras are able to take people’s temperature without them having to leave their homes.
This will greatly speed up the testing process, enabling the authorities to identify the focal points of contagion and isolate infected cases rapidly.
The new testing kits are currently being distributed to the 17 regions of Spain, and in Murcia testing points have been set up in the regional capital, Cartagena and Lorca. 500 samples had already been collected by Sunday evening at these points, although until the diagnosis equipment arrives the analyses are still being carried out in hospital laboratories.
The regional government has requested 40,000 kits for the time being, and the system is already fully operational in regions such as Galicia, Andalucía and La Rioja. In Murcia as elsewhere, a large proportion of the extra materials will be distributed among health professionals (who according to some analysts represent 12 per cent of all confirmed cases) and old people’s homes: there have been several cases already of the virus causing multiple deaths in residences for the third age, with the elderly being particularly vulnerable to the effects of Covid-19.
Over the weekend the national Ministry of Health has also distributed over 1.6 million facemasks to the regional health authorities all over the country, bringing the total since 10th March to over 4 million. Almost 30 per cent of the masks have been delivered to the region of Madrid, while Catalunya has received another 12.7 per cent and 11 per cent have been sent to Andalucía. Murcia has received precisely 56,285, representing 1.39 per cent of the total of 4,046,089, although 3.17 per cent of the population live in the Region.
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), and also urges 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. Medical staff will be sent to your home to test for the virus.
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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