Spain's death-toll from coronavirus has risen to more than 4,000 people while new infections have also increased by almost a fifth. The country announced that 655 people died from the virus between Wednesday and Thursday, taking the total number from 3,434 to 4,089. The number of new infections also rose from 47,610 on Wednesday to 56,188 - an increase of 8,578, or around 20 per cent. Meanwhile harrowing images from a hospital in Albacete, 85 miles west of Valencia, showed patients lining the corridors of a hospital waiting to be treated. One nurse at a Madrid hospital said health provision was 'collapsing' with nearly 6,500 medical workers infected themselves. Spain's death toll from coronavirus has topped 4,000 - with 655 new fatalities registered overnight bringing the total to 4,089 Spain is now the second worst-affected country with coronavirus, having surpassed China's death toll Wednesday and now lags only behind Italy. Thursday's death figure is dramatic but significantly better than this time yesterday, when the country posted a record-breaking 738 deaths in 24 hours - on par with Italy's worst days. Spain confirmed 7,937 new cases of coronavirus Wednesday - an increase of 20 per cent - meaning Thursday's figures are roughly in line with expectations. The clip was recorded in the Hospital of Albacete in the central Spanish region of Castilla La Mancha where 88 patients were hospitalised on Tuesday. In the video, patients in gurneys can be seen lining the corridors of the hospital, with others sitting on chairs. The woman recording can be heard saying 'people are lying on the ground because they said they were exhausted'. A Spanish soldier walks next to beds set up at a temporary hospital for vulnerable and homeless people in Barcelona She says that she was sharing the images as a call for the authorities to react to the situation as the patients cannot make their voice heard. She says the hospital is a bottleneck for the local health centres, adding that more beds are needed for the huge number of patients being admitted. The health worker complains that there is not enough protective equipment 'so we keep putting our health and our loved ones at risk'. The Integrate Attention Management of Albacete, which belongs to the Health Service of the regional government of Castilla La Mancha said the increase in the number of patients in the hospital had put a lot of pressure on the emergency services. Reports state new measures were implemented on Tuesday after the video was shared with one floor of the hospital previously dedicated to other patients now being used for those coming from the emergency room. Another ward from the nearby Perpetuo Socorro Hospital is also available for use. Local media report that health centres in Albacete are changing and adapting their facilities in order to attend to coronavirus patients. On Wednesday, the number of medical personnel infected was nearly 6,500 nationally, health authorities said, representing 13.6 per cent of the country's total cases and about one per cent of the health system's workforce. At least three health care workers have died. 'We are collapsing. We need more workers,' said Lidia Perera, a nurse who works at Madrid's Hospital de la Paz, which has 1,000 beds. Patricia Nunez, a 32-year-old nurse at the same hospital, is among those who have been infected. 'The worst thing is that you need to stay at home, worried about infecting relatives, while knowing that you are dearly needed at work,' she said. Despite a national lockdown imposed on March 14, which parliament on Thursday agreed to extend until April 11, both deaths and infections have continued to mount, with officials warning this week would be particularly bad. Health authorities are hoping it will soon become clear whether the lockdown is having the desired effect. The Madrid region has suffered the brunt of the epidemic with 17,166 infections - just under a third of the total - and 2,090 deaths, or 51 percent of the national figure. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose wife is infected with the virus, has said this is the country's most difficult moment since its 1936-39 civil war. 'Only the oldest, who knew the hardships of the civil war and its aftermath, can remember collective situations that were harsher than the current one. 'The other generations in Spain have never, ever had to face as a collective something so hard,' he said when he imposed the state of emergency on March 14. Spain's demographics partly explain why it has been one of the worst-affected nations. The country has one of the longest life expectancies in Europe and the pandemic has taken a high toll on its large elderly population, who are especially vulnerable to the disease. Source
