Spain’s regions report seven coronavirus deaths in the last 24 hours

The official coronavirus death toll in Spain currently stands at 28,322 according to the latest report from the country’s Health Ministry, which was made public on Saturday evening and is compiled from data supplied by the country’s regions. The figures show that there were seven new Covid-19-related fatalities on Friday, with a further 29 that took place on previous days.

The seven fatalities were registered in Catalonia (four), Valencia, Castilla y León and the Basque Country (one in each). Other regions reported new coronavirus deaths, but they did not take place on Friday. There were 13, for example, in the case of Madrid. Over the last seven days, there have been 36 fatalities, according to the ministry data. On Friday, after the ministry finally presented its completely revised data set for the pandemic after nearly two weeks revising the numbers, that figure came in at 40.

The total number of confirmed cases in Spain now stands at 245,938, which is 363 more than the previous day. Of these, 134 were detected on Friday. Madrid, Catalonia and Aragón are the regions where most cases were confirmed. Madrid, for example, has added 210 cases to the list, but just 45 of these correspond to the previous 24 hours.

The number of hospital admissions over the last seven days was 101, according to the latest ministry report

The rate of infections per 100,000 inhabitants over the last seven days is still falling, and is currently at 3.08. This figure is dropping in all of the regions that have had the most cases: Madrid, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y León.

The number of hospital admissions over the last seven days was 101, according to the latest ministry report. The same indicator came in at 97 on Friday and 89 on Thursday. These are small variations that have different interpretations, as Fernando Simón, the director of the Health Ministry’s Coordination Center for Health Alerts, explained on Friday: more people with lighter coronavirus symptoms are being admitted for treatment now compared to the peak of the pandemic in Spain, which was seen at the end of March and the beginning of April. At that time, these patients would have gone through the disease at home.

The same could be happening with intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, which came in at six over the last seven days according to the latest ministry report. The figure hit a record low of three on June 15.

The state of alarm implemented by the government in March to halt the spread of the coronavirus will be lifted at 12am on Sunday morning. Measures such as the use of masks when social distancing is not possible will remain in place, while the country’s regions will be able to decide what other restrictions to apply. Spanish residents will be able to move freely around the country for the first time in 100 days from tomorrow, with lockdowns only possible in small areas such as municipalities or villages.

English version by Simon Hunter.