ARCHIVED - Sunday update: 28,572 cases of Covid-19 in Spain and 1720 deaths

3,646 new confirmed cases in the last 24 hours in Spain

The latest official figures produced by the Spanish government show that the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 throughout the country has risen to 28,572 with the number of related fatalities having reached 1720, another 1,785 patients in intensive care and 2,575 patients having been given the all clear. 

The numbers of those in intensive care has risen dramatically in the last 24 hours, totally overwhelming the health services in some areas of Spain.The situation is critical in Madrid where intensive care units are now operating at double their maximum capacity and field hospitals are now being brought into use to cope with the continued growth in the number of serious cases.

Since the last official update yesterday 217 people have died in Madrid alone, pushing the number of deaths over the 1,000 mark to 1,021 and accounting for 59.4% of all deaths in Spain. There are now 9,702 actual cases in Madrid, with 834 in intensive care, but the reality is that there are many thousands more, as the system is so overwhelmed that tests are no longer being undertaken .

Here in Murcia we now have 296 cases, with 16 people in intensive care.

These figures are very low in comparison to other areas of Spain, and Murcia has just one death reported and one recovery; as you can see looking at the list below showing cases in the other regions of Spain, the cases here are the lowest per capita of population on mainland Spain.

Thanks to the rapid and  strict confinement of members of the public to their homes throughout Spain it is hoped that the spread of the virus can be contained, although as stated many times before, the regional health authority is under no illusions that many cases have yet to show symptoms and it will be 2-3 weeks before we see a peak in case numbers.

As a result of this the Spanish government has this morning extended the lockdown to 12th April.

The regional government continues to issue messages reminding the public of the need for patience during the confinement period which has been established during the emergency, recognizing that frustration is beginning to mount and that tempers will be fraying. It is important to remember that staying at home is essential in order to make the period of confinement as short as possible for everyone and reduce the number of deaths, and out on the streets police and the military are becoming stricter at enforcing the conditons of lockdown and fining members of the public who do not respect the lockdown. The image shows the regional forestry fire division here in the Murcia Region working with the police to enforce lockdown and spray public areas.

The latest available data for the number of Covid-19 cases by region is as follows:

Andalucía: 1,725 (47 fatalities, 55 in intensive care, 38 cured)

Aragón: 532 (24 fatalities, 45 in intensive care, 3 cured)

Asturias: 545 (8 fatalities, 15 in intensive care, 20 cured)

Balearic Islands: 331 (4 fatalities, 14 in intensive care, 17 cured)

Canary Islands: 414 (9 fatalities, 32 in intensive care, 7 cured)

Cantabria: 282 (5 fatality, 9 in intensive care, 11 cured)

Castilla-La Mancha: 1,819 (112 fatalities, 76 in intensive care, 48 cured)

Castilla y León: 1,744 (74 fatalities, 106 in intensive care, 89 cured)

Cataluña: 4,704 (191 fatalities, 298 in intensive care, 150 cured)) 

Ceuta: 5

Comunidad Valenciana 1,604 (69 fatalities, 113 in intensive care, 30 cured)

Extremadura: 384 (14 fatalities, 8 in intensive care, 8 cured)

Galicia: 915 (12 fatalities,35 in intensive care, 16 cured)

Madrid: 9,702 (1,021 fatalities, 834 in intensive care, 1,899 cured)

Melilla: 25 (0 fatalities)

Murcia: 296 (1 fatalities, 16 in intensive care, 1 cured)

Navarra: 794 (14 fatalities, 30 in intensive care, 4 cured)

Basque Country: 2,097 (97 fatalities, 81 in intensive care, 216 cured)

La Rioja: 654 (18 fatalities, 17 in intensive care, 18 cured)

Remember: LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN. STAY AT HOME. STAY SAFE AND DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.

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/. 

PLEASE help to support the flow and sharing of information by following this page and sharing the information into groups to which you have access.

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.

The Region’s public hospitals have limited the number of visitors to just one per patient.

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!