ARCHIVED - Murcia Covid update July 30: hospitalisations climb back to level of early March
Murcia has the second lowest rate in Spain, but is still nine times higher than when restrictions were eased
The image clearly shows the rising incidence with cases at the top and hospitalisations below
The final Covid figures of the week for the Murcia region are less than positive unfortunately, as the number of patients hospitalised rises by a further 16 new cases in the latest 24 hour period to 154, with 27 in intensive care.
This is the highest level in the region since March 9 when the region was immersed in the third, and deadliest wave of the pandemic so far.
Also helping to demonstrate that the statement that “yes, there are lots of new cases but hospitalisations aren´t going up and people aren´t dying”is absolutely wrong is a further fatality in the region, a 71 year-old-male from the Lorca health area, the fifth death this week and taking the total to date in the region up to 1,617.
Although the regional government is undertaking mass testing of young people under 40 who have not been vaccinated this weekend in several municipalities across the region, the cases detected continue to register considerably higher levels than for the last two months; 562 new cases in the latest 24-hour period.
This is 89 fewer than on Thursday, but is still enough to push the number of active cases up to 4,630, 167 more than on the previous day.
Of the 562 new cases, 131 correspond to the municipality of Murcia, 107 to Cartagena, 43 to Lorca, 23 to Molina de Segura, 20 to Caravaca de la Cruz, 18 to Alcantarilla, 18 to Torre Pacheco, 15 to Mazarrón, 15 to San Javier, 15 to Yecla, 11 to Jumilla, 11 to Totana, 9 to Archena, 7 to Mula, 7 to San Pedro del Pinatar, 6 to Blanca, 6 to Cehegín, 6 to Ceutí, 6 to Cieza, 6 to Puerto Lumbreras, 5 to Alhama de Murcia, 5 to Bullas, 5 to Lorquí, 5 to La Unión. The remainder are distributed in smaller quantities around the remaining municipalities.
These cases were detected via 5,532 PCR tests, giving a positivity rate of 10.15%.
Accumulated incidence rate:
The region concludes the week with an accumulated incidence rate of 466 cases per 100,000 of population, nine times higher than at the end of the latest state of emergency, just before relaxations on movement and mask wearing began.
The highest infection rates in the region are all concentrated close to the capital city in small municipalities, the worst being tiny Albudeite with a rate of 1163 per 100,000 people.
It’s hard to pinpoint any particular area as cases have been reported in every single one of the 45 municipalities of the region within the latest 14 day period.
However, as bad as these figures are, Murcia has the second lowest rate in Spain, the worst being Catalunya which has a rate of 980 cases per 100,000, more than double the rate of Murcia. The Balearics is not far behind Catalunya with 951, also more than double the rate of Murcia, followed by Navarra with 917.
All other regions have more than 500 cases per 100,000 and are classified as being at “extreme risk” .
The average rate nationally is 696 cases per 100,000, lower than the UK, but higher than anywhere else in Europe, so although Murcia is performing better than other areas of Spain, the country is back where it was in March, but this time everyone is on holiday, their guard is down, there are no restrictions on wearing masks when out and about in the street, there are no lockdowns anywhere, bars and restaurants are open, people are mingling at the markets, going to concerts…….and the incidence rate is back to where it was as the third and most deadliest wave, was accelerating.
This weekend will be one of the busiest of the year in Spain as the annual summer holidays begin, with the cities emptying and their residents heading for the coast.
The DGT estimates that more than 48 million long-distance journeys will be undertaken within the next month in Spain, so be aware that with this level of population movement, infections are also travelling from one location to another!!
Although masks must be worn inside shops and buildings, the remainder of the time their use is pretty much discretionary.
Data at a glance updated on Friday, July 30
Positives diagnosed in the last 24-hour period: 562
Active cases: 4,630
Total of positive cases to date: 124,747
Patients in home isolation with mild cases: 4,476
Hospitalisations: 154
Patients in intensive care: 27
Total recoveries to date: 118,500
Total fatalities to date: 1,617