On Monday, the Balearic public health service reported a major outbreak of coronavirus at the senior citizens' care home in Sant Joan. Two residents died over the weekend, while tests showed that 54 other residents and 21 staff were positive. Six people are now in hospital.
Last Thursday, a worker at the home tested positive. On Friday, a resident tested positive. The health service then tested everyone at the home - 112 residents and seventy staff. The results of these tests revealed 77 positives, including the two residents who passed away over the weekend. Eighty-six of the 112 places at the home receive funding from the Council of Majorca's Institute of Social Affairs.
The protocol for such a situation is to divide the home into two areas - the ground floor is for people who are positive but who are asymptomatic or who have mild symptoms; the first floor is for those who have tested negative.
A coronavirus attention "flying unit" is monitoring everyone at the home. The health service will carry out further tests over the coming days.
A total of 88 residents in care homes in the Balearics are currently "active" cases of infection. Sant Joan clearly has the most cases. In the Verge de l'Esperança home in Palma there are 22 cases.