Spain hits new virus case record 2nd day in a row

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spain on Friday registered its highest daily jump in coronavirus cases, as the country’s health minister ruled out a full-blown lockdown for now.

The country saw cases surge by 25,595 – breaking the previous record set on Thursday by more than 2,000 cases.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals continues to climb unrelentingly. There are now 18,162 patients using 15% of all hospital beds and 27% of all intensive care units.

Just one week ago, there were 14,539 hospitalized COVID-19 patients using 12% of all the beds and 22% of ICUs.

Deaths on Friday surged by 239, bringing the weekly total of deaths in Spain to 1,126.

Spain declared a state of emergency on Sunday, which led to the vast majority of the country closing borders to non-essential travel and establishing curfews.

“We are sure these measures, if used properly, will be able to bring down the curve,” said Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa in a news conference on Friday.

Illa highlighted the fact that the state of emergency, which was extended for six months on Thursday, does not legally permit the government to issue full stay-at-home orders.

Meanwhile, new data shows that Spain’s economy rebounded a historic 16.7% from July to September, better than many economists had predicted.

Yet, Spain’s GDP is still 8.7% lower than a year ago, and new restrictions on mobility are dampening prospects for continued growth this year.