Coronavirus: Spain death toll jumps by 324 in its biggest one-day rise

Second worst-hit country in Europe after Italy warns of 'most difficult days' to come

The number of deaths from coronavirus in Spain has jumped to 1,326, up from 1,002 in the country’s biggest one-day rise so far.

According to data from the Health Ministry, the number of registered cases in the country rose to 24,926 on Saturday, from the figure of 19,980 announced on Friday.

Spain is the second hardest-hit country in Europe, after Italy, which has reported over 47,000 confirmed cases and 4,032 deaths.

It overtook Iran as the world’s third worst coronavirus-stricken country on Friday, after China and Italy. The capital, Madrid, has recorded almost 9,000 cases and 628 deaths.

The new figures come after Spanish authorities said on Friday that they would turn a conference centre in Madrid into a giant military hospital for coronavirus patients.

More than 1,600 patients across the country are in intensive care units that authorities admit are at their limits.

According to Reuters, about 5,500 hospital beds will be set up inside the Ifema conference centre on the capital’s outskirts in order to help cope with the expected surge in cases.

Health emergencies chief Fernando Simon told a news conference: “The most difficult days are coming now.”

Residents in Spain have been under tight restrictions on free movement, with most shops closed, for almost a week now.

Hospitals and nursing homes are severely strained, but authorities admit that they expect infections to continue to rise before the measures will have their hoped-for impact and reverse the trend.

Earlier this week, the Spanish government closed its borders in a bid to curb the spread of the virus. Portugal also announced closure of its border with Spain to tourists for at least a month, reported The Local Spain.

Additional reporting by agencies