Madrid is Covid- 19 epicentre again
New cases in the region rise to 1,500 daily and IFEMA field hospital could be used as ICUs fill up
AS IN the first wave, Madrid has again become the epicentre of new coronavirus, leading regional authorities to consider reopening the IFEMA field hospital that was used as regular hospitals collapsed in March and April.
The latest figures for the region show over 1,500 more people testing positive for Covid- 19 daily - this figure represents a third of the 4,728 news cases reported nationwide on Wednesday.
The regional health department is considering emergency measures to contain the spread in the city after it was reported on Wednesday that new coronavirus patients now take up 40% of ICU beds.
If cases continue to rise at the same rate, the department is considering reopening the huge
field hospital at IFEMA exhibition centre that held over 1,000 patients at once during the first wave.
Cases have increased more severely in the southern districts of the city and local lockdowns are being considered.
Although they were initially announced on Wednesday morning, the regional justice department later said regional government could not legal enforce them, although they could limit mobility in the most affected areas.
Highest death rate of second wave
Spain reported the highest daily number of deaths caused by Covid- 19 of the second wave on Wednesday ( 239 people). The previous maximum figure was reported on September 2 ( 177) and has not been so high since
June 19 when a large number of back- logged deaths were added to the figure ( a daily rate so high without adjustments is actually unheard of since early in May).
Since the epidemic began, 30,243 people have died in Spain according to official figures ( see comment below).
As for the total number of those infected, the figure stood at 614,360 at the time of going to press.
Classrooms closed
As for the back- to- school process, so far pupils in 200 classrooms at around 120 schools throughout Spain are in homeisolation due to case report. Unions say there are 27 teachers infected; the remainder of the infection are accountable to pupils.