THERE has been a surge in coronavirus cases in Spain to the country’s highest ever number of new infections.
Updating the pandemic figures late on Monday – the first data released for four days – health authorities said there were 214,619 new cases.
This brought the 14-day national caseload to 1,206 new infections per 100,000 residents.
This is considerably more than during January, which was the previous peak when the cumulative case figure stood at 900 per 100,000.
But despite the bad news, the Omicron variant, which is being blamed for the surge as it is far more contagious than the Delta strain of COVID-19, death rates are remaining relatively low.
There have been 120 deaths attributed to the virus in Spain since December 23.
Hospitals are under some pressure, with 7.5% of Spanish hospital beds and 18% of intensive care spaces taken up by COVID-19 patients, a situation that is worrying regional authorities.
Some Spanish regions are now considering widening restrictions that were not on the table just a week ago.
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