THE outbreak of coronavirus at a nursing home in Mallorca has led to the deaths of 15 elderly residents.

Earlier this week, the Balearic Ministry of Health reported that six people had lost their life to COVID-19 at the Bell Entorn Residence in just 24 hours.

However in just 48 hours the death toll has doubled.

At present, 109 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 at the Soller nursing home, 76 of these being elderly residents.

The remaining 33 diagnoses are employees at the home.

The outbreak led to the immediate intervention of the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS), which is controlling all healthcare activity at the centre. 

The director of the Balearic health service, Juli Fuster, has since said that ‘the situation has already changed in a spectacular way’ thanks to IMAS.

Fuster explained that additional healthcare professionals have been hired at the home and those who are COVID-19 positive are now separated from those that are negative.

It comes as the intensive care units at two major public hospitals in Mallorca are reportedly on the verge of collapsing.

According to Diario de Mallorca, the ICU at Son Llatzer hospital has reached its capacity without the possibility of expanding due to a lack of staff.

The critical care unit at Son Espases is reportedly facing the same situation, with doctors being forced to use post-surgical beds for those seriously ill with the virus.

The Nursing Union (SATSE) denounced the ‘unacceptable’ situation at the Mallorcan hospitals.

It said: “There are no nurses for assistance, and although there are beds there is no personnel to deal with them.”

It continued that the ‘threat of coronavirus and lack of means threatens the health of both patients and health workers’.

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