A medical worker takes care of a patient infected with COVID-19 at the intensive care unit (ICU) in Madrid

A medical worker takes care of a patient infected with COVID-19 at the intensive care unit (ICU) of Ramon y Cajal hospital amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Madrid. | SERGIO PEREZ

ReutersMadrid31/10/2020 09:44
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The number of coronavirus infections in hard-hit Spain rose by 25,595 on Friday, the highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic and the second consecutive record after Thursday's 23,580, health ministry data showed.

The death toll went up by 239, bringing the total number of fatalities to 35,878 in Spain, which approved a six-month state of emergency this week to try to curb the second wave of coronavirus contagion.

That was below Tuesday's figure of 267, which was the sharpest one-day rise of the second wave, and still a far cry from nearly 900 at the peak of the first wave in late March.

The official cumulative number of infections now stands at 1,185,678, but Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said the real total is likely above 3 million based on prevalence studies and estimates.

Like other European countries, Spain has resorted to increasingly drastic measures to curb infections, although less stringent than in Germany or France. The state of emergency grants regional authorities the power to limit freedom of movement through lockdowns and curfews.