According to the latest figures, cases in the Alicante province so far in the second wave of infection are already four times those of the first wave. Between March and April, 3,707 positives were registered, while from September to date there are close to 17,000 infections.
Management at Vega Baja hospital have said that the situation is under control despite the recent increase. Orihuela Health Department is one of the most severely affected departments in the entire Valencian community according to Miguel Fayos, manager of Vega Baja Hospital. The growing number of positive cases over the last month is reflected in the increase of patients who need intensive care.
According to the Fayos, “Events have forced us to implement the Contingency Plan on which we have been working exhaustively since the beginning of the pandemic. It consists of setting up new areas for the care of covid patients, both in ICUs, emergencies and hospitalization units”. Hospital management are also focusing on the provision of PPE and respirators to deal with the second wave.
Unions have criticised the Ministry of Health for lack of human resources, both in terms of health professionals and support workers. One union, the CSIF, said that latest figures for Vega Baja hospital showed 16 patients in ICU – the ward itself and the resuscitation ward being full with Covid-19 patients. The union said that operating rooms were being transformed into ICUs to facilitate non covid related admissions. Covid patients who do not need intensive care, numbering more than 50, are distributed among Pulmonology, Neurology and Cardiology wards. Workers themselves claim to be at breaking point, and utterly exhausted. Those declared the heroes of the first wave of the infection are now saying that the second wave is going to take its toll on them psychologically and have demanded a more effective contingency plan to avoid having to be in contact with the virus every day.
Hospital workers claim that now, in Vega Baja’s covid wards, two patients are installed per room to save space. Meanwhile, hospital orderlies have asked for ‘closed services’ during their shifts, claiming that they cannot be “transporting covid patients in ICU and later, taking a woman to delivery or being in oncology.” At the moment, workers say there simply isn’t enough staff.
Hospital manager Miguel Fayos, is more optimistic. He assures that Vega Baja has sufficient capacity to continue serving the population, and calls for calm. In terms of staff shortages, he said that since March, 258 reinforcement staff were hired – both health and non health personnel – and that they have requested a further increase in professional staff.
Meanwhile, in Albatera, six workers at the Health Centre have tested positive for Covid-19. Workers began to feel symptoms on Friday and have all undergone rapid testing – being healthworkers, they only had to wait 12 hours for a result. Officials in Albatera have called for calm and have assured that the workers would have undertaken all hygiene protocols at all times and that the health centre building itself undergoes regular sanitising.
Reports on Saturday indicated 20 positive cases at Casa Verde care home in Almoradí. Patients will be treated at Almoradí health centre and Vega Baja hospital and new admissions to the care home have been put on hold. Casa Verde declined to make a statement to the press, claiming that they must be “respectful” of clients and their families “to protect them.”
The incidence of coronavirus in Almoradí is one of the highest in the entire Valencian Community with 471 cases per one hundred thousand inhabitants. One hundred positive cases have been registered there in the last 14 days, not including those at Casa Verde.
The Valencian Community saw some tighter restrictions introduced at midnight on Friday with the towns of Elda and Petrer closed off due to high infection rates. Bars and restaurants have had the good news that they do not have to close, but will see the interior capacity reduced to a third and terraces to half. Capacity in shops is reduced to a half and communal areas in commercial centres cannot be used.