Spike in coronavirus cases in Catalonia and Spain
Almost 40,000 cases in Spain, only behind China, Italy and the US – a fifth of them reported by Catalan health system
New coronavirus cases spiked again in Catalonia and the whole of Spain between Monday and Tuesday.
The whole of Spain is about to reach 40,000 coronavirus cases, with the figure standing at 39,673 as of Tuesday at noon – some 5,400 of them are healthcare professionals.
In a single day, over 6,500 people tested positive from Monday to Tuesday, making it the worst daily update – also in new fatalities, 514, with the total death toll surging to 2,696.
Spain is the fourth country in the world in number of cases and the third in deaths, with a fatality rate of over 6% - lower than Italy, at 9%, but higher than China and France (4%), or Germany (0.4%).
Spain's health emergency coordinator, Fernando Simón, says he believes the effects of the "tough measures" that have been put in place to counter the crisis will be felt in the coming days: "I don't know if it'll be tomorrow or Friday – but their impact will be felt soon."
Simón also justified the Spanish government's decision to not impose a total lockdown in particularly hard-hit regions such as Madrid or Catalonia by arguing that the measures put in place are already some of the world's strictest.
Catalonia's covid-19 figures
One-fifth of the cases in Spain have been declared in Catalonia – the figures stand at 7,864 cases and 339 deaths, making the death toll 4.3%.
According to figures disclosed by Catalan health minister Alba Vergés during a mid-day press conference on Tuesday, of Catalonia's 339 deaths, 8 were in Lleida and Aran, 4 in Tarragona, 1 in Terres de l'Ebre, 28 in Girona, 59 were in central Catalonia, and the vast majority - 239 - died in the Barcelona area.
Vergés also explained that of Catalonia's close to 1,000 ICU hospital beds, 658 are being used by covid-19 patients, of which 538 need invasive mechanical ventilation.
Monday has been the worst day so far, with over 1,900 new cases confirmed and 94 more people dead. 1,346 healthcare professionals have contracted the virus.
As for the people discharged who had the virus, the figures stand at 3,794 in the whole of Spain and 755 in Catalonia.
In the Igualada covid-19 cluster, on Monday there were 292 cases and 36 people had died with the disease.
On Monday night the city's hospital received the 4,000 facemasks it had been waiting for since last week that had been confiscated by the Spanish government. Igualada mayor Marc Castells, however, believe they will last a week "at most."
The Catalan government is concerned about the surge in cases bringing the public health system to a standstill – several measures to avoid it have been taken, such as expanding the number of intensive care beds.
A total lockdown on Catalonia is another request by the government, but Spain's cabinet has denied it so far.
Guardiola donates one million euros
Former FC Barcelona player and coach Pep Guardiola has donated one million euros towards the purchase and manufacture of healthcare equipment in Catalonia.
The current Manchester City manager made the donation to the Àngel Soler Daniel Foundation who are managing a fundraising campaign supported by the Col·legi de Metges doctor’s association.
They are aiming to collect medical material and financial contributions from doctors and the general public for the purchase of medical equipment that hospitals in Catalonia are currently lacking.