At least 598 people have lost their lives in Spain due to COVID-19 and another 13,716 have been confirmed to have the virus, according to data released by the Spanish Health Ministry on Wednesday.
FOURTH-WORST AFFECTED COUNTRY
The country reported over 100 deaths and 2,500 new confirmed cases in one day, while other 774 are in intensive care units (ICUs).
“At the moment, there are some ICUs that are overwhelmed, but most in the country are still functioning normally,” said Fernando Simon, head of Spain’s emergency services.
Spain is the fourth-worst affected country in the world by the pandemic and has been in lockdown since last Saturday evening.
On Wednesday, a director of the Spanish police force confirmed in a press conference that 73 people have been detained for not obeying the emergency law, which forbids people from leaving their homes for non-essential reasons.
On Tuesday, Spain’s Prime Minister announced the largest economic stimulus in the country’s history to deal with the economic impacts of the virus — valued at up to €200 billion ($219 billion). It will mobilize liquidity for businesses and guarantee basic social protections for those affected by the virus.