The Catalan government's health ministry has confirmed four new cases in Catalonia of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 this Wednesday afternoon.
The cases confirmed this afternoon, which raise the total number of infected in Catalonia to 28, are a 30-year-old man from Barcelona, who had contact with people who travelled to Italy; a 61-year-old woman from Barcelona who was in contact with a previously confirmed case; a 51-year-old man from Barcelona who also had been in contact with a previous confirmed case; and a 51-year-old female from Barcelona who, likewise, had been in contact with a confirmed case.
Ten cases confirmed today
The Catalan health service has confirmed that all cases registered so far in Catalonia have mild symptoms. In addition, up to now, the origins of all of the cases in Catalonia have been clear: either contact with a known infected person or travel to an area of risk.
The total number of infections detected, however, has grown steadily: from four cases confirmed last Friday, to a total of 12 by Monday morning. The figure reached 18 on Tuesday, and this Wednesday, ten new cases have been confirmed so far, a 50% increase in less than 24 hours. More than 400 other people in Catalonia are in isolation in their homes, after having been in contact with an infected person.
The 28 cases of Catalonia are also included in the total of more than 200 cases that have been registered throughout the Spanish state.
Second death in Spain
Authorities in the Basque Country have confirmed the death of a person from coronavirus in Spain on Wednesday, the second fatality of a person infected by the virus in the Spanish state. The patient was an 82-year-old man from Bizkaia province who was suffering from chronic illnesses and also had pneumonia.
The first death from SARS-CoV-2 in Spain, although only confirmed on Tuesday, occurred on February 13th, when a 69-year-old man who had recently travelled to Nepal died in a Valencia hospital. At the time he was diagnosed with pneumonia of an unknown origin, but due to a change of protocol last week, he was given a posthumous test for the virus. His death is now the earliest known case of a coronavirus fatality outside Asia.