Starting Tuesday, December 9th, everyone in hospitals, health centres, and SUAP (Primary Care Emergency Services) will have to wear masks.
The Ministry of Health will issue an order in the coming days to regulate this measure because there has been an upsurge in seasonal flu cases.
People are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated at their health centre or traditional vaccination station, especially those who are at high risk.
Juan José Pedreño, the Minister of Health, met with the heads of the nine health regions to plan how to deal with the rise in acute respiratory infections.
Due to the rise in acute respiratory infections in the Region of Murcia, the Regional Ministry of Health will soon issue an order that all hospitals, both public and private, as well as health centres, clinics, and primary care emergency services, must wear masks starting on Tuesday, December 9.
Juan José Pedreño, the Health Minister, said that this choice was taken “based on the criteria of the Epidemiology Service technicians, because acute respiratory infections have been happening more often in the last few weeks and are expected to keep happening more often.” This is how we are preparing for the possible effects on the healthcare system.
He went on to say, “This order will be in effect until the end of the year, but it will be reviewed in two weeks.”
The most recent epidemiology data says that the number of acute respiratory infections has gone up by 19% this week compared to last week. Specifically, the number of people getting the flu has gone up by 110 percent, the number of people getting COVID-19 has gone up by 29 percent, and the number of people getting bronchitis or bronchiolitis has gone up by 6.9 percent.
The councillor said, “The flu is the main cause of this rise in cases right now. It spreads in the first week of symptoms, but even earlier. We need to protect the most vulnerable, like the elderly, people with chronic or serious illnesses, and children. To do this, we need to wear masks.”
Because incidences of influenza and other respiratory diseases are on the rise right now, it is very important that visitors to hospitalised relatives wear masks and take extra hygiene steps, such washing their hands. This is because the main ways these illnesses spread are through direct contact with sick people (droplets and airborne transmission) or through contaminated objects and surfaces.
The Ministry of Health’s order also says that masks should be worn in social service centres and places that care for the elderly and/or disabled, both residential and day centres, whether they are public, subsidised, or private. This is because there is more interaction and closeness between health professionals and patients in private health consultations. It is also important to wear masks in health establishments, especially in pharmacies.
The importance of getting vaccinated
The Ministry of Health also stresses how important it is for everyone to get vaccinated, especially for the most at-risk groups including children under 9, pregnant women, individuals over 60, and people with chronic or serious illnesses.
The Murcian Health Service (SMS) also makes and carries out yearly plans for dealing with the flu in all health regions. These plans are tailored to each area’s structures, population, and resources.
Every hospital has a plan in place for how to add more beds and staff to the Emergency Department if needed. In this case, the Murcian Health Service (SMS) is ready to take the necessary steps to stop the problem from getting worse.
Author: Derek Appleton
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