Five new coronavirus cases in Catalonia, one serious, raises total to 37

The number of patients who have tested positive for the coronavirus in Catalonia now stands at 37, with five new cases confirmed on Friday afternoon. 

One of the newest five confirmed cases is in a serious condition, meaning there are now two in serious condition after the first of whom was confirmed on Thursday. 

The newly confirmed serious case is a 29-year-old woman who lives in Barcelona. Her case was reported on Thursday as a possibility of being a new positive test. The first patient confirmed as being in a serious condition, a 50-year-old man, was classified as such because he had a prior condition, and he remains stable in the intensive care unit.

In addition, the source of the new serious condition contagion has not yet been traced, while they have found the origin of the other four new cases.

The five new positives are, in addition to the 29-year-old, a 19-year-old woman residing in Barcelona who is in contact with people who had traveled to risk zones; a 47-year-old man living in Cabrils and a 35-year-old woman from Barcelona both of whom are contacts with people who have been in areas with outbreaks; and a 55-year-old woman who lives in the Catalan capital and who traveled to Milan some days ago.

Public health secretary Joan Guix spoke on Friday morning and said that authorities were considering modifying the manner of quarantining contacts of confirmed cases. 

Dr. Guix raised the possibility of only ordering at-risk patients of isolating themselves at home.