COVID-19: Spain reports 462 more deaths in one day

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - At least 2,182 people died in Spain from COVID-19 and 33,089 cases have been confirmed so far, according to official data released on Monday.

Over the last 24-hours, the country saw 462 people die, and around 4,500 new cases were confirmed.

Over 2,300 people are now in intensive care units (ICUs), while 3,355 have recovered.

On Monday, a government spokesperson confirmed that around 12% (3,910) of all confirmed cases have been discovered in the country’s healthcare workers.

Over the weekend, Madrid, which has registered over 1,200 deaths already, had its hospitals near collapse. In at least one hospital, patients were being treated on the floor and in hallways, according to Spanish daily El Mundo.

Meanwhile, leading Spanish daily El Pais reported that various hospitals in the capital region had their ICUs working with more than double capacity.

A military-style hospital in Madrid’s major conference center IFEMA is being set up to hold as many as 5,000 beds. On Sunday, it began to receive its first patients and began bringing in healthcare professionals on a voluntary basis.

Authorities are scrambling to set up similar hospitals across the country.

On Sunday, Spanish prime minister announced that the lockdown in Spain will be extended until at least April 11.

The COVID-19 outbreak that started in Wuhan, China, has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University shows the virus has now spread to 167 countries and regions.

Over 343,400 cases and 15,300 deaths have been reported worldwide since last December, while more than 100,000 people have recovered.