The Spanish Public Health Commission has published a new update of the Surveillance and Control Strategy against COVID-19, in which a further step is taken towards the influenzaization of the coronavirus. Among the most outstanding measures is the elimination of isolations in asymptomatic or mild people and the end of massive tests in the general population. Surveillance will focus on people with vulnerability factors (over 60 years of age, immunosuppressed and pregnant), vulnerable areas (health and socio-health) and serious cases.
These measures will come into force from next Monday, March 28, and will be applied as long as the indicators for the use of healthcare services are at a low risk level. Therefore, isolation will only be mandatory when it comes to serious cases and vulnerable population, this will be at the discretion of health personnel. They will also be necessary in nursing homes and hospital settings, regardless of the severity of the symptoms of those infected.
These isolations must be for five days and can be terminated as long as 24 hours have passed without any kind of symptoms related to the coronavirus. In the case of infected toilets, the same procedure will be applied but they can rejoin and end isolation with a negative diagnostic test.
Test only vulnerable people or those with severe symptoms
As for the tests on the population, which have been carried out massively until now, Health is going to limit PCR and antigen tests to those people who present severe symptoms, immunosuppressed patients, vulnerable personnel -social health or health-, pregnant and over 60 years, and under medical prescription. In addition, these tests will no longer be necessary in hospital admissions or in surgical procedures, although each center may require it in specific situations if it deems it appropriate.
Diagnostic tests will only be carried out on people with severe symptoms, pregnant women, people over 60 years of age, immunosuppressed or vulnerable personnel
“The diagnosis of patients with mild symptoms compatible with COVID-19 will be made according to the needs of its clinical management. For patients with mild symptoms compatible with COVID-19 and their close contacts, strict isolation and quarantine are not proposed, and these are replaced by recommendations for preventive measures (use of a mask, avoid contact with vulnerable people…). In vulnerable areas, such as health care or socio-health centers, specific isolation and control measures may be implemented,” the document collects.
This new step towards COVID flu has been decided taking into account the data on the incidence of the disease in the country, which according to the latest data bulletin from the Ministry of Health on March 21, stands at 386 per 100,000 inhabitants. , since in the last 14 days 181,423 cases of new SARS-CoV-2 infections have been reported.
In addition, the pressure on hospitals and ICUs has been reduced, with 3.78% of beds occupied by coronavirus and 6.06% in intensive care units. The next step that is being debated is the elimination of masks indoors, as other countries such as France, Sweden, or the United Kingdom have already done.
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