The Catalan health ministry has confirmed 24 new cases of coronavirus in Catalonia this Tuesday. This brings the total number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Catalonia up to 125, and of these 18 are in serious condition. In addition, a total of 400 healthcare professionals are in preventive isolation.
First cases in Tarragona
In the last few hours, four cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Tarragona health region - specifically, in the coastal municipalities of Salou and Cambrils. All those affected are in isolation at home, where they are being monitored and are stable. One focus of the virus affects a 79-year-old woman and her 46-year-old daughter, both residents of Vilafortuny, near Cambrils. In this case, the epidemiological background is a trip which the 79-year-old woman made to Belgium, where she is from.
It is reported that one of the relatives the woman visited had been infected with Covid-19 during a stay in Italy. By contrast, tests performed on the woman's husband, who also travelled to Belgium, have been negative. The other two coronavirus positives are a married couple in Salou: a woman aged 60 and her 54-year-old husband who are also in isolation at home, monitored and stable, according to the health authorities.
IMSERSO trip to Benidorm
Earlier this Tuesday, the first case in the inland Lleida province was also detected: an 80-year-old woman, resident in Castellserà, in Urgell county, as local mayor Marcel Pujol told Europa Press.
The woman has been isolated in the Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova in Lleida, and her condition is not serious. The patient had taken part in an IMSERSO trip to the coastal resort of Benidorm in Alicante, together with another woman, who died on Sunday, and four family members - two sons and two daughters-in-law - who are in isolation in their homes.
The woman who died has been given an autopsy to determine the exact causes of death, but the results are not yet available.
IMSERSO is a Spanish social services agency that provides subsidised travel and activities for retired people. Its trips have been suspended due to the coronavirus crisis.
Heavy use of 061 health number
As a result of the coronavirus epidemic, the Catalan health service's 061 help line has been receiving an avalanche of calls, with nearly 18,000 calls received yesterday. In this context, the Catalan health ministry is calling for responsible use of 061 and appealing for the maximum possible support from the public in the face of this extraordinary situation.
The authorities advise that primary health care (local CAP centres) can also be called for any questions, while for serious and life-threatening emergencies, the recommended phone number is 112.