Published 20:40 IST, March 26th 2020
Spain: Death toll witness a spike of 4,000 amid coronavirus pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic death toll in Spain surged to 4,089 after 655 people died within 24 hours, the health ministry informed about the number on March 26.
The coronavirus death toll in Spain surged to 4,089 after 655 people died within 24 hours, the health ministry informed about the number on March 26. It was a 19 percent increase in figures released on March 25 by the authorities in Spain, which has the world's second-highest death toll from the disease after Italy. The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 rose to 56,188, the ministry said.
Spike in death toll
Despite a national lockdown imposed on March 14, which parliament on March 26 agreed to extend until April 11, both deaths and infections have continued to mount, with officials warning this week would be particularly bad. But the rise in the number of new deaths was smaller than that recorded on March 25 when the figure rose by 738 or 27 percent. Health authorities are hoping it will soon become clear whether the lockdown is having the desired effect. The Madrid region has suffered the brunt of the epidemic with 17,166 infections -- just under a third of the total -- and 2,090 deaths, or 51 percent of the national figure.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose wife is infected with the virus, has said this is the country's most difficult moment since its 1936-39 civil war. According to him only the oldest ones can recollect and tell the hardships of the civil war and its aftermath, and the collective situations that were harsher than the current one. He also added that other generations in Spain never ever had to face as a collective something so hard. Spain's demographics partly explain why it has been one of the worst-affected nations. The country has one of the longest life expectancies in Europe and the pandemic has taken a high toll on its large elderly population, who are especially vulnerable to the disease.
Spain signs contract
Amid a massive shortage of protective gear for medical professionals and staff, Spain signed a multi-million euro contract with China to procure medical supplies. Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa on March 25 said that the government signed a contract with China worth 432 million euros to purchase 550 million masks, 5.5 million rapid test kits, 950 respirators and 11 million pairs of gloves.
Spain has already surpassed China’s death toll due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) has become a nightmare for the medical staff. The surge in the number of confirmed cases has brought Spain’s highly appreciated universal health care system to its knees. More than 5,400 healthcare workers alone, around 12 percent of the overall cases in Spain, have been infected by the novel coronavirus due to the lack of sufficient protective equipment.
Image credit: AP
Updated 20:40 IST, March 26th 2020