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Spain adds 38,273 COVID-19 cases since Friday, off recent peaks – Metro US

Spain adds 38,273 COVID-19 cases since Friday, off recent peaks

Outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Alpedrete
Outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Alpedrete

MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s tally of coronavirus infections rose by 38,273 on Monday from Friday’s level, health ministry data showed, marking a continued slowdown in the number of cases after they hit a weekend peak of more than 55,000 on Nov. 2.

The increase brings Spain’s cumulative total of infections since the start of the pandemic to 1,496,864, the second highest in Europe after France. The data also showed 484 more fatalities, bringing the total death toll to 41,253.

Spain imposed a six-month state of emergency at the end of October, giving its regions legal backing to implement curfews and restrict travel.

“We continue to see a slightly declining trend in the number of infections… but it’s still at 470 cases per 100,000. That’s a lot of cases, a lot,” health emergency coordinator Fernando Simon told a news conference.

The rate of new infections, measured over the past 14 days, was above 500 for most of last week.

Simon said that in 17 out of Spain’s 19 autonomous regions and cities, new infections were either stabilising or declining.

However, the pressure on hospitals has continued to rise, with nearly a third of intensive care beds now occupied by COVID-19 patients, a trend Simon expected to persist for at least a few more days.

(Reporting by Andrei Khalip; Editing by Gareth Jones)