The Director of the Centre for the Coordination of Health Alerts & Emergencies, Fernando Simón, says "it does not make sense" to implement more measures to contain the coronavirus right now.
More than 94,000 people have been infected in Spain, including Fernando Simón and the transfer of patients between autonomous communities has been mooted as a way to alleviate the pressure on Hospitals that are saturated.
He insists that it’s better to monitor the effect of the initiatives already implemented to contain the virus, before approving for example, the total confinement of the population.
“There is no point in introducing new measures without being able to minimally assess the impact of what we are implementing. This is not a race to the top. It is about implementing the most effective measures and assessing the impact they have,” he said.
Fernando Simón, who’s in quarantine after testing positive for coronavirus, takes part in the Daily Press Conference from his home after the meeting of the Coronavirus Management Committee.
The Deputy Director of the Centre for Coordination of Health Alerts & Emergencies, María José Sierra, has said again that the possibility of moving infected patients to other autonomous communities has not been ruled out.
But the Health Minister, Salvador Illa, denies that patients are being transferred from one community to another, but insists the Government won’t rule out "any measure" and will do what is "most convenient" for those affected by coronavirus.
"What we are doing is looking at the needs of the autonomous communities. There has already been a transfer of medical equipment, especially respirators, but we cannot rule out the transfer of patients, as long as it is in a consensual manner with the communities and when they express their needs to us,” said Simón.
Research from Imperial College in London estimates that there are 7 million people in Spain infected with the coronavirus, but Simón pointed out that this work was not carried out yesterday and said that many more people may well have been infected if no action had been taken.
“The models are simulations of reality and cannot include the real peculiarities of what is happening,” he said. “What has been done in Spain is based on the strongest scientific evidence we have been able to discover. Not all countries are showing the same results as us but I hope they will soon and an evolution of all countries will be observed.”