Spanish PM Says Coronavirus Infections May Be Triple Estimates
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the number of people in Spain who have had contracted coronavirus likely exceeds 3 million.
(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the number of people in Spain who have contracted coronavirus since the start of the pandemic likely exceeds 3 million, some three times higher than official data would suggest.
The higher number is based on serology tests, which measure the antibody response, Sanchez said Friday in Madrid. He renewed an appeal for national unity and for citizens to restrict movement and social contact, while indicating that curbs won’t be tightened to the point of excessively harming the economy.
“We have to put in place the measures needed with the least economic impact,” Sanchez said. “We must at all cost avoid going back to home confinements as we did in spring. The next few weeks and months, now that we enter the winter, will be difficult, very difficult.”
Spain this week became the first Western European nation to surpass 1 million infections, according to Health Ministry data, rising to 1,046,132 on Friday. The pandemic is out of control in parts of the country, Health Minister Salvador Illa said Thursday.
By citing the 3 million figure, Sanchez is highlighting how official data can drastically underestimate the scale of the spread. It’s an issue that has been flagged by the World Health Organization, which estimates that 10% of people worldwide may have been infected with Covid-19.
Spain reported 8,293 new cases on Friday, compared with 7,956 in the previous 24-hour period. While those levels are similar to late March and early April when Spain was Europe’s pandemic epicenter, deaths have been comparatively low, with 655 recorded over the past week.
The trend in the Madrid region, including the capital where the government has declared a state of emergency, is of particular concern. Covid-19 patients account for about 40% of intensive-care hospitalizations in the Madrid and Aragon regions, compared to 22.5% nationwide, according to Health Ministry data on Friday.
Restrictions on public life in the Madrid region are due to tighten on Saturday with bans on social gatherings between midnight and 6 a.m. for people who do not live together. Bars and restaurants will have to close from midnight.
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