Health Centres in Spain’s Murcia Struggle to Cope with Coronavirus testing

AFTER an unusually high upturn in cases, the health authorities in Murcia ordered that the whole area of Carmen be tested for coronavirus.

The residents of the Murcian neighbourhood of Carmen are concerned about the announcement of the creation of a Covid point due to the rebound in cases. After the announcement, the health centre received an ‘avalanche’ of users asking for information.

All the elderly must be tested, read the enforcement notice – anyone who has had contact with them too must be tested. Portable units have been despatched to the local care homes and the rest of the residents in the area have started making their way to the health centres. Some are brought there by families or friends and the rest have taken taxis. As they arrive they have to be registered then they sit and wait to be called for the test. After waiting a few hours they are told if they have the virus or not, a worrying time for many.

Telephones at the centres are constantly ringing with people who are confused about where to go and what to do etc. A nurse at one of the centres said: “We are overwhelmed with people, this is like winter when we have the flu vaccination programme running. Many of the older people are worried about the tests because they had friends or knew someone that had been really ill with the virus or even died of it.”

Murcia reported its first death for a month yesterday when a 90-year-old woman from Lorca passed away. There are 62 patients still in hospital – 8 are in intensive care units. The total number of infections in the region are 4,799 – 1,018 which are in self-isolation.

However, it is worth knowing that 52 people have been discharged from hospital after having recovered from the virus. Spain’s director for health, Fernando Simón, reiterated the government’s position last night stating he would not hesitate to put a city or region/regions back into lockdown should he feel it necessary. That statement is still causing concern across the whole of Spain as new outbreaks occur and cases continue to rise.