A medical worker prepares to enter the COVID-19 patients' wards at a hospital in Barcelona, Spain, April 9, 2020. (Photo by Francisco Avia/Xinhua)
The death toll in Spain increased to 19,130 after 551 patients inflicted with COVID-19 died in the last 24 hours.
The last two days have seen a sharp increase in the number of new cases recorded in the country, but Health Minister Salvador Illa explained the increase was partly due to a rise in the number of tests.
MADRID, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Both the numbers of new cases and deaths from COVID-19 have risen in the past 24 hours in Spain, according to data released by the country's health ministry on Thursday.
The death toll in Spain increased to 19,130 after 551 patients inflicted with COVID-19 died in the last 24 hours.
The country confirmed 5,183 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the tally to 182,816.
The ministry said that the total number of recovered cases has reached 74,797.
Medical workers plan the care work for COVID-19 patients at Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, Spain, April 13, 2020. (Vall d'Hebron Hospital/Handout via Xinhua)
The last two days have seen a sharp increase in the number of new cases recorded in the country, but speaking at the Health Commission in the Spanish Parliament on Thursday, Health Minister Salvador Illa explained the increase was partly due to a rise in the number of tests.
Illa insisted that the tendency in Spain was still that the spread of the virus has slowed down: "The rise in new cases is 2.9 percent today; two weeks ago it was 7 percent," he commented, adding that the reduction was "visible in the intensive care wards."
"We are on the right track, but we have to remain alert because there are still difficult weeks ahead of us," he said.
Madrid continues to be Spain's worst-hit region, with 6,877 deaths from 50,694 cases. The local authorities reported the number of cases and deaths in the region surrounding the capital is almost certainly much higher, due to deaths in care homes for the elderly and people who have passed away in their own homes. ■
