By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

Spain’s Ministry of Health continue to report large numbers of COVID-19 cases. The latest numbers put the country at nearly 18,000 total cases and more than 800 fatalities.

Image/CDC

The Autonomous Community of Madrid has seen 6,777 cases, followed by Catalonia (2,702), Basque Country (1,190) and Andalusia (1,008).

Following the recommendations of the WHO, the Ministry of Health is working on an advanced project to carry out rapid diagnostic tests for the detection of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), in coordination with the Autonomous Communities.

As indicated in the Procedure for Action against Cases of Infection with the New Coronavirus, the tests to detect the new coronavirus are carried out in the following situations:

  1. Person with a clinical picture of acute respiratory infection who is hospitalized or who meets hospital admission criteria.
  2. Person with a clinical picture of acute respiratory infection of any severity who belongs to any of the following groups: (a) health and socio-health personnel, (b) other essential services.
  3. The performance of the diagnostic test may be considered in especially vulnerable people who present a clinical picture of acute respiratory infection regardless of its severity, after an individualized clinical evaluation.

Rapid diagnostic tests, however, may be performed on a broader population, both vulnerable groups and those who remain in the home with symptoms, which will be a major advance in the early diagnosis of the disease.

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