More staff to fight the flu
Peak season starts at the end of January
TEMPORARY medical staff are being employed to prevent the collapse of health centres and hospitals in the Valencia region during the flu season.
The health service is placed under great strain at this time of year as cases of the virus multiply.
A spokesman for the regional health department noted that flu generally starts to seriously affect the population from the beginning of January and reaches its peak from the end of January until the middle of February.
According to the spokesman, 49 additional doctors and nurses will swell the ranks in Alicante province, another 110 will be posted to Valencia province and 15 will be allocated to Castellón.
The spokesman added that number of new employees taken on will depend on demand from hospitals and health centres.
Medical home care services (PAC) will also be reinforced and will operate each day from 15.00 to reduce demand in health centres, emergency centres and hospitals.
This year more than 800,000 flu vaccines were purchased by the regional department for health and the
WORK to completely remodel Avenida de los Pinos, alongside the Reina Sofía park in Guardamar del Segura, is due to start on Monday (January 20).
It was announced by mayor José Luis Sáez at a meeting in the Casa de Cultura at the weekend which was held to inform residents about the plans.
He was also joined by town planning and public works councillor José María Hernández and the council officers who drew up the project.
Over €1 million is being invested, 75% of which is coming vaccination campaign started on November 4.
They have vaccinated 730,320 people against the flu virus in the last three months.
Of these 368,976 were in Valencia province, 279,759 in Alicante and 81,585 in Castellón.
The spokesman noted that 52.52% of residents who received the jab had chronic illnesses.
A total of 466,540 recipients were aged over 64 years old.
Residents have until the end of January to get the vaccination this year. from a provincial government subsidy and the rest from municipal coffers.
The contract was awarded to the company Moa Mediterráneo de Obras y Asfaltos, which offered to include an extra €244,000-worth of improvements.
It is scheduled to take three months to complete and will completely transform this busy area.
The mayor explained that it will be turned into an area for everyone to enjoy where pedestrians will have priority over vehicles.
“It will be another example of what we want for Guardamar,” he said.
“A place of great commercial, tourism and social value which reconciles residential, pedestrian and commercial activity.”
Sr Hernández explained that the ground will be completely levelled and its connections to adjacent streets will be improved, particularly with Avenida Inginiero Mira.
Any overhead cables will be removed and relaid underground; the tap water and sewage pipes will be replaced; the rainwater gutters will be improved; new LED lighting will be installed; there will be new street furniture; and several children’s playgrounds will be constructed, as well as public exercise equipment.
The councillor emphasised that the work will be carried out in a way which is designed to affect residents and businesses in the avenue ‘as little as possible’.
He also revealed that this is just the first phase of a project that will affect the whole perimeter of the Reina Sofía park, which will become surrounded by a pedestrianised area.