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LATEST: Madrid residents urged to ‘stay at home’ as Spain’s coronavirus death toll leaps to 84

The surge in infections brought the total to 2,968 cases in Spain up from 2,140 on Wednesday evening, with deaths leaping to 84 from 48 within the same time frame.

Published: 12 March 2020 16:48 CET
LATEST: Madrid residents urged to 'stay at home' as Spain's coronavirus death toll leaps to 84
A mask has been placed on a model at Las Fallas after the fiesta was cancelled. Photo: AFP

Although there is no official lockdown in the capital, schools and public offices are closed, people are being told to work from home, cultural and sporting events are suspended and sports centres, museums and other cultural spaces closed.

A campaign by Madrid's regional health authorities is urging people not to leave the house unless that have to, in order to curb the spread of the virus and not overwhelm the health service which is already at breaking point.

“This morning, all members of the government will undergo testing,” a government statement said, indicating the results would be published later in the day.

“The minister (Irene Montero) is in a good condition and second deputy prime minister Pablo Iglesias is also in quarantine due to the situation.”   


The couple have both been isolated to prevent contagion. Photo: AFP

Montero tested positive on Wednesday evening, three days after appearing at a mass march of some 120,000 people through Madrid for International Women's Day.

 

A special cabinet meeting to discuss an emergency plan of action to respond to the crisis went ahead around 1200 GMT as planned, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and 14 other ministers, it said.

However, all of Sanchez's upcoming appointments would be conducted by video conference.

Spain has seen the number of infections spiral since the start of the week, becoming one of the worst-hit countries in Europe. Madrid has borne the brunt of the crisis with 1,388 infections and 38 deaths.   

The International Women's Day demonstration on Sunday evening took place just hours before health authorities detected a huge spike in infections.

Schools in other regions including Galicia, Catalonia, Murcia and Asturias will be closed from Friday.

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HEALTH

Lengthy waiting times at Danish hospitals not going away yet: minister

Danish Minister for the Interior and Health Sophie Løhde has warned that, despite increasing activity at hospitals, it will be some time before current waiting lists are reduced.

Published: 10 May 2023 15:09 CEST
Lengthy waiting times at Danish hospitals not going away yet: minister

The message comes as Løhde was set to meet with officials from regional health authorities on Wednesday to discuss the progress of an acute plan for the Danish health system, launched at the end of last year in an effort to reduce a backlog of waiting times which built up during the coronavirus crisis.

An agreement with regional health authorities on an “acute” spending plan to address the most serious challenges faced by the health services agreed in February, providing 2 billion kroner by the end of 2024.

READ ALSO: What exactly is wrong with the Danish health system?

The national organisation for the health authorities, Danske Regioner, said to newspaper Jyllands-Posten earlier this week that progress on clearing the waiting lists was ahead of schedule.

Some 245,300 operations were completed in the first quarter of this year, 10 percent more than in the same period in 2022 and over the agreed number.

Løhde said that the figures show measures from the acute plan are “beginning to work”.

“It’s positive but even though it suggests that the trend is going the right way, we’re far from our goal and it’s important to keep it up so that we get there,” she said.

“I certainly won’t be satisfied until waiting times are brought down,” she said.

“As long as we are in the process of doing postponed operations, we will unfortunately continue to see a further increase [in waiting times],” Løhde said.

“That’s why it’s crucial that we retain a high activity this year and in 2024,” she added.

Although the government set aside 2 billion kroner in total for the plan, the regional authorities expect the portion of that to be spent in 2023 to run out by the end of the summer. They have therefore asked for some of the 2024 spending to be brought forward.

Løhde is so far reluctant to meet that request according to Jyllands-Posten.

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