Spain intensifies population testing

(Patria) – The Spanish government announced on Saturday that it will intensify coronavirus testing, even with the help of robotics.

The number of deaths due to coronavirus infection has exceeded 1,300, while there are now more than 25,000 infected people in the country, making Spain the second most affected country in Europe, immediately behind Italy.

Intensive care units in Spanish hospitals are filling up rapidly, and representatives of health institutions believe the number will only increase, and they are not sure when the peak of the infection can be expected.

Authorities believe that social distancing measures will achieve some effect, and urge the population to stay at home.

The government has secured 640,000 additional testing kits and announces it will reach one million. The first kits will be distributed over the weekend.

The government is also trying to procure four robots that could test about 80,000 people daily, which is significantly more than the 15-20,000 that can currently be covered.

Additional equipment is also being procured, including 700 ventilators. On Saturday alone, about 1.3 million protective masks were distributed for medical staff and patients.   

Ricard Ferrer, president of the society for intensive medicine, stated on the Spanish TV channel TVE that he expects about 10,000 patients to pass through intensive care in hospitals in 10 weeks. Although Spain has the capacity to cope with such a high number, Ferrer says he still hopes that the measures will show results in terms of the number of cases, Reuters reports.