The number of new coronavirus infections in Spain has dropped to a record low since the start of the epidemic, as the most affected country in Europe was preparing to reopen parts of its economy this week.
Deaths have risen slightly to 619 in the past 24 hours and are expected to exceed 17,000 on Sunday, but figures from the Spanish Ministry of Health have shown that new cases have increased 2.6% over the same period – the lowest rate since the start of the pandemic in the country for a month. long ago and the number of cases started to increase by a fifth every day.
Proof that a strict lockdown, in place since March 14, was working as some factory and construction owners were preparing to resume work on Monday, a call that has drawn criticism in some quarters.
What is Covid-19?
It is caused by a member of the coronavirus family who has never been seen before. Like other coronaviruses, it comes from animals. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a pandemic.
What are the symptoms caused by this coronavirus?
According to the WHO, the most common symptoms of Covid-19 are fever, fatigue and a dry cough. Some patients may also have a runny nose, sore throat, stuffy nose, and aches and pains or diarrhea. Some people report losing their taste and / or smell. About 80% of people who get Covid-19 have a mild case – about as severe as a common cold – and recover without needing special treatment.
According to the WHO, about one in six people fall seriously ill. Seniors and people with underlying medical conditions like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, or chronic respiratory conditions are at increased risk for serious Covid-19-related illness.
In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service (NHS) has identified the specific symptoms to look for as either:
high temperature – you feel warm to the touch on your chest or back
a new, continuous cough – this means that you have started coughing several times
Since this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are useless. The antiviral drugs we have for the flu will not work and there is currently no vaccine. Recovery depends on the strength of the immune system.
Should I go to the doctor if I cough?
Medical advice varies around the world – many countries impose travel and residence bans to try to prevent the spread of the virus. In many places, people are told to stay at home rather than seeing a hospital doctor in person. Check with your local authorities.
In the UK, the NHS advises that anyone with symptoms stay at home for at least 7 days. If you live with other people, they must stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home.
How many people have been affected?
The National Health Commission of China confirmed human-to-human transmission in January. As of April 6, more than 1.25 million people have been infected in more than 180 countries, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
There have been more than 69,500 deaths worldwide. Just over 3,200 of these deaths occurred in mainland China. Italy was the most affected, with more than 15,800 deaths and more than 12,600 deaths in Spain. The United States now has more confirmed cases than any other country – more than 335,000. Many of those who died had underlying health conditions, which the coronavirus complicated.
More … than 264,000 people are said to have recovered coronavirus.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, the regional president of Catalonia asked to see the medical and epidemiological advice on which the decision was made. Quim Torra also suggested that this decision would cause “an increase in infections and a collapse of the health system in Catalonia”.
Speaking after a video conference with leaders of Spain’s autonomous regions on Sunday afternoon, Sánchez said the country remains tightly locked despite easing restrictions on non-essential workers. People returning to work were advised to maintain social distance, and face masks will be distributed at metro and train stations.
“I want to be very clear,” he said. “We are not entering a de-escalation phase. The state of emergency is still in effect, as is the lock. The only thing that has ended is the two-week extreme economic hibernation period. “
The Prime Minister said that anyone who is sick or pregnant, or has the mildest symptoms, should stay at home. “General confinement will remain the rule for the next two weeks and the only people allowed to go out will be those who go to authorized jobs or make authorized purchases,” he said.
Sánchez said there could be a “gradual and very careful” easing of the lockup “within two weeks at the earliest” – but only if current trends continue.
The World Health Organization said there could be a “lethal resurgence” of the coronavirus if the countermeasures were lifted too early, while one of the Spanish government’s experts said it thought it it would have been wise to keep non-essential workers at home for longer.
Sánchez warned that the lockdown should be extended beyond April 26. Under the detention rules, people are only allowed to leave their homes to go to work or to buy food or medicine. He also called for unity in what he called an unprecedented “total war” and called for an escalation of political tensions. “We are dealing with a completely new situation … I have – and I will not have – any other enemy than this virus.”
Optimism about the slowdown in infection rates in Spain has been tempered by continued speculation that the actual number of Covid-19 deaths in the country may be much higher than official figures.
Data recently released by judicial authorities in Madrid, for example, suggests that 6,600 more people than usual died in the last two weeks of March, compared to the official count of 3,500 deaths of Covid-19 in the region.
Infection rates continued to slow elsewhere in Europe, including the Netherlands, where coronavirus cases exceeded 25,000 on Sunday, with more than 2,700 deaths.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told the German daily Bild that elderly people on the continent may have to remain isolated until at least the end of the year to protect them from the virus, even if their freedom movement is relaxed for others. .
“Without a vaccine, we must limit contact with the elderly as much as possible,” she said. “I know it is difficult and isolation is a burden, but it is a matter of life and death, we have to stay disciplined and patient.
“Children and young people will have more freedom of movement sooner than the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions,” she said.
In an Easter Sunday mass celebrated in front of a handful of people in St. Peter’s Basilica and broadcast live worldwide, Pope Francis said he hoped pre-WWII rivalries “would not resume not force ”following the pandemic. He said the crisis presented the European Union with a “historic challenge, on which not only its future but that of the whole world will depend.”
According to Johns Hopkins University tracker, nearly 110,000 people have died from coronaviruses, with more than 1.78 million people diagnosed.
Strict traffic restrictions came into effect on Sunday in Jerusalem, where predominantly ultra-Orthodox Jewish areas have been disproportionately affected by the virus, in part because influential rabbis have been slow to shut down synagogues and religious seminars.
Mainland China reported 99 new cases on Saturday, all but two of which were imported, and the country’s national health commission said there were no new deaths.
The two local cases occurred in Heilongjiang, the northernmost province of China, which borders Russia. Of the 97 imported cases registered, 43 were in the city of Shanghai. No new cases have been reported in Hubei, the province where the epidemic is believed to have started, and was officially announced 103 days ago.
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