Spain registers another drop in daily COVID-19 deaths

OVIEDO, Spain

Spain registered 399 more deaths on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed COVID-19 victims in the country to 20,852, according to the Health Ministry.

This is the lowest daily death toll registered in the country since March 22.

On Monday, the country also passed the 200,000 mark for confirmed cases, after finding another 4,266 infections. Spain has the second-most cases in the world, after the United States.

Sunday, when the daily death toll dipped to 410, emergency health chief Fernando Simon said the data “gives us hope,” but added the caveat that data from the weekends can be delayed. Yesterday was the first time the daily death toll has fallen below 500 since March 23.

Spain’s official death count only includes people who were tested and confirmed to have the disease. It leaves out those who died without tests in care homes, private dwellings, or even hospitals due to limited resources.

Over the weekend, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that he will ask Parliament to extend Spain’s state of emergency through May 9.

He also explained that children, who have been unable to leave their homes since March 14, will be allowed outside starting this weekend, under certain conditions.

On Sunday night, Spain’s government also set maximum prices for vendors selling protective equipment such as masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer.

“The goal is to guarantee that the public can obtain certain protective products without abusive economic conditions,” said the government in a press release.

On Monday, the Bank of Spain released an economic forecast for the country, predicting that in the best-case scenario Spain’s economy will shrink this year by 6%. At worst, it expects a 13% contraction.