This Monday, Castilla-La Mancha has passed to phase 1 in two of its five provinces. Guadalajara and Cuenca, yes. Toledo, Ciudad Real and Albacete, no. The epidemiological context of these three and their circumstances of mobility are the reasons why they will have to wait to advance in de-escalation. These are issues related to its proximity to Madrid. The same has happened in Castilla y León: Segovia remains in phase 0 and Ávila, except for the basic area of Muñico; in the rest of its provinces some areas pass and others do not.
These Communities have “particular conditions,” said Fernando Simón, director of the Center for the Control of Alerts and Health Emergencies this Sunday. He made reference to “the geographical distribution” of these autonomies, with several provinces bordering Madrid – “where there has been a very high impact of the epidemic” – and to the mobility that exists between them: “That has made Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla and León are, along with Catalonia and Madrid, the most affected ”.
In March, after the State of Alarma was decreed, Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y León detected movements of Madrid residents to certain areas of their territory, through the account of residents and mayors of municipalities. Álvaro Gutiérrez, the mayor of Escalona (Toledo) recounted a month ago that his town was like “in the middle of August”. “We have about 3,500 registered and another 3,500 who do not live here habitually, but it is that now we will be around 15,000”, indicated April 8. That same day, the mayor of Las Navas del Marqués (Ávila), Javier Sastre, recounted how water consumption in the town had tripled and had gone from 5,200 inhabitants to more than 10,000.
The “reckless” invasion of Madrid
–In the first week of April, the data confirmed what the councilors and citizens observed: they had doubled and even tripled the number of travel health cards requested and health appointments in primary care, specialty centers, emergencies and hospitals. A month later, those figures once again reflect the exodus of thousands of residents in Madrid.
In Castilla y León, the request for displaced health cards grew 77% from February to March (from 2,240 to 3,956) and more than half of the Spaniards who arrived that month came from the Community of Madrid, 3,956 of 7,602. In April, although they were less, that migration also occurred. The Castilian-Leonese health service registered 4,511 cards, and 2,469 were requested by Madrid residents. Most in Ávila and Segovia, 1,021 and 450 respectively.
In Castilla y León, in April, 2,469 Madrid IDP cards were made out of a total of 4,511. Most went to Ávila and Segovia, 1,021 and 450 respectively
In Castilla-La Mancha the numbers rose even more. They detected it in pharmacies, on ID cards and in health care. In February, 85,709 electronic prescriptions were dispensed in the Castilian-Manchegas pharmacies; in March, more than double: 181,525. Of these, 153,997 were to residents of Madrid.
The same thing happened on IDP cards. During the second half of March, and although Madrid is always the region that registers the most requests, 146% more than the previous month were distributed, they were 3,106, and 2,431 were to Madrid citizens. In April it happened again, of the 3,217 health cards they made, 2,636 went to Madrid residents. And it also happened with health care: of 8,516 non-resident patients in the region they attended, 7,174 came from Madrid populations.
Of the 3,217 IDP health cards that were made in Castilla-La Mancha in April, 2,636 went to residents of Madrid
This, said Fernando Simón this Sunday, was a “very important impact” on the health services of the two regions. Despite this, “they have been able to adapt and control the epidemic in an exceptional way, have greatly improved their capabilities and have very adequate systems.” Both Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y León accepted the decision made by technical experts in Public Health according to the conjunction of epidemiological and mobility indicators, which conferred “greater risk”; Both have referred that the most important thing is “prudence”. Now, Simón explained for the three provinces that remain in phase 0 in Castilla-La Mancha (Ciudad Real, Albacete and Toledo), “they will have to be reevaluated”: “I think that in a short time they will be in a position to pass the phase.”
Residences, ICU and agglomeration: the weak points of each province to face the virus in the new phase
How aging, density, interprovincial connection, capacity of ICU beds and nursing homes influence.
Information about the coronavirus:
– Here you can follow the last hour on the evolution of the coronavirus.
– The coronavirus map: this is how cases grow day by day and country by country
– Coronavirus action guide
– All measures against the coronavirus in Madrid
– In case you have symptoms, the Community of Madrid recommends avoid going to the health center except in cases of extreme need, use the web coronamadrid.com and the phone 900 102 112
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