Spain Becomes Third Country to Report Over 20,000 Virus Deaths

(Bloomberg) --

The number of new coronavirus cases in Spain rose by 4,499 people in the last 24 hours, pushing the total to 191,726 as the government reviews the way it reports its figures.

Authorities reported a total of 20,043 deaths from the illness since the outbreak started, with 565 people dying in the last 24 hours. That’s roughly in line with this week’s data, although the ministry hasn’t clarified discrepancies in the number of deaths reported yesterday. Spain is now the third country after Italy and the U.S. to suffer more than 20,000 deaths.

Spain’s Health Ministry, which every day gathers data reported by each of the country’s 17 regions, changed the reporting criteria earlier this week. Adjusting to the new, more detailed requirements will take a few days and data from previous days might have to be adjusted, Fernando Simon, the government’s top scientific adviser on the pandemic, said earlier this week.

Spain’s Health Minister Salvador Illa said this week that the peak of the virus had been reached and the focus is turning to “bending” the infection curve.

Spain has been under a state of emergency since mid-March, when the government ordered a strict lockdown that has kept most of the population at home. This week, non-essential workers were allowed to go to work for the first time in two weeks, although authorities still recommend that those who can work from home.

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