Home » News » The Region of Murcia adheres to the application of Health for self-diagnosis of coronavirus | Radio Murcia

The Region of Murcia adheres to the application of Health for self-diagnosis of coronavirus | Radio Murcia

The Governing Council has approved an agreement between the Ministry of Health and the Secretary of State for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence that establishes the adherence of the Region of Murcia to the use of the ‘AsistenciaCovid19’ application, which allows citizens to self-assess their probability of suffer covid-19.

The objective is to reduce the volume of calls to the telephone numbers made available to resolve doubts in this regard, to allow an initial triage of possible cases and subsequent follow-up, according to what the Minister of Health, Manuel Villegas, has made known at the press after the Governing Council.

The tool can be used through mobile (iOS and Android) and the web (https://asistencia.covid19.gob.es/) and it also allows access to action recommendations and updated information and receive reminders for periodic monitoring of the health condition. In no case does it constitute a service for medical diagnosis, emergency care or prescription of pharmacological treatments.

Thus, depending on the medical symptoms reported, the user will be able to self-assess their probability of being infected with COVID-19, as well as access a continuous daily self-assessment through monitoring of temperature and basic parameters, every 12 hours from to launch the application, including an alarm reminder.

The system includes sending notifications regarding the best preventive and evaluation measures at all times and provides practical advice and actions to follow according to the evaluation.

The Region of Murcia thus joins the communities of Asturias, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura, as well as the Community of Madrid, where the pilot project was carried out, which already have this application.

The agreement, which does not entail financial obligations between the parties, will have an initial duration of three months and may be expressly extended for successive monthly periods up to a maximum of one year.

SEROPREVALENCE STUDY

When asked about the seroprevalence study to be carried out by the Ministry of Health through the Carlos III Health Institute, Villegas has recognized that the inhabitants of the Region who will be examined have increased from 1,600 to 2,700, all of them belonging to nuclei relatives.

The counselor has clarified that the number has increased due to the number of inhabitants and that the Region is a uniprovincial community. “There is no other reason,” said Villegas, who explains that “they are only looking for a representative sample and enough to have results.”

Villegas affirms that the Ministry’s seroprevalence study will be further extended because they will make three analytical determinations in 15-day periods. In his opinion, de-escalation measures will be considered before the data from this test is available, which “will be very serious.” However, he believes that “we cannot be waiting for their results to initiate the lack of confidence.”

As for the possibility that some cases of influenza detected at the beginning of the year could have been cases of coronavirus, Villegas has admitted that “it may be possible.” In fact, it indicates that today a scientific report has been published that pointed to the arrival of a case in Spain in February.

Although he believes that it is necessary to wait for the seroprevalence study of the Ministry to see its results, he pointed out that the flu curve “did not offer any second peak or anything unusual in the normal evolution that epidemic influenza follows each year, there was a normal descent, as if no strange thing had arrived in February. “

When asked about the fact that there have been areas of the Region without cases since the start of the pandemic, Villegas pointed out that the memory of the epidemiology service clearly includes the cases by municipalities, which are available on the Murcia Health website. “The spread of the epidemic has a lot to do with the isolation of the areas, which is why, logically, municipalities that are very isolated and where there is not much movement of people, it is difficult for the virus to arrive.”

He pointed out that the Region is a transit zone and the isolation “has not protected us”, although he believes that the initiative of the regional government to try to isolate the Region immediately “has served us well.” The municipalities without cases “are stuck in the mountains, isolated, in which there is very little movement of people, something that also happens in northern Spain.”

DESCALADA

As for the plans for de-escalation of the confinement, Villegas has advanced that a meeting of the inter-territorial council is scheduled to be held this Friday to address this issue and there is a technical group working on it.

“I do not dare to advance anything to avoid raising expectations that later, perhaps, cannot be met,” according to Villegas, who has assured that he will release details when the schedule “is clear.” In any case, he considers that “it seems a fact that not everyone is going to de-scale at the same time.”

When asked if they will be able to use the beaches this summer, Villegas has acknowledged that the issue is “very green” and has called for “caution” because “you have to see how the pandemic evolves.”

When asked about the relaxation of confinement measures for children, the counselor congratulated himself on the measure and recalled that he was committed to its execution. “I am very happy that the children are left on the street and that it is shaped in this way, that they can run and play, because it is vital for them,” he stressed.

SITUATION IN SENIOR RESIDENCES

As for the situation in the residences, he has recognized that the situation is “stabilized” but the Ministry continues on “permanent alert, well above all of them.” Thus, all residents have been tested and professionals are beginning to be tested, not only from the affected residences but from all the centers.

He has indicated that all the residences and centers for people with disabilities are intervened, although this intervention is “more or less important” depending on whether they have registered outbreaks or not. It is operated daily if there is an incident and there is a permanent contact telephone number attended by medical personnel. Where there have been outbreaks, there are SMS staff.

When asked why the immunity test figures are still low with respect to PCR, Villegas has indicated that the rapid tests of inuminity are being piloted for the second time in health centers and the week that comes will spread to the rest.

These tests will give information on the immunity achieved by the whole society for having passed the disease, and has clarified that “it is not an emergency”, so they will be done progressively. “Now we are more busy detecting and isolating the cases that are still appearing to end the pandemic,” he said.

As for whether the 24-hour opening of the hemodynamic service in Cartagena is maintained, Villegas recalled that it is a commitment by the President of the regional government, Fernando López Miras, and they are included in the memory of SMS activities. Adequate personnel and means were expected to be ready before the summer, according to Villegas, who believes that it will be launched “soon” and has not been modified by the health crisis.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.