Spain’s daily coronavirus death toll lowest in month

Spain’s daily coronavirus death toll on Sunday was the lowest reported in almost a month, signaling the country could be past the worst of the outbreak.

Spain’s health ministry reported 410 new deaths, the lowest for the country since March 22, bringing the number of total deaths 20,453, The Associated Press and Reuters reported. On Saturday, 565 deaths were reported.

Spain’s highest daily death toll was 950 deaths reported on April 2, showing at the time that the country’s lockdown since may have been helping to slow down the spread. 

The total number of corona cases is also still growing in Spain, adding 4,218 cases on Sunday for a total of 195,944. Spain has documented the second-highest number of total cases, behind only the U.S., which has confirmed 735,366. 

Top Spanish health official Fernando Simón said the numbers provide the nation with hope, saying they demonstrate “the rate of contagion has fallen and that we are on the correct path,” according to the AP. 

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, announced Saturday that he was requesting a 14-day extension of the country’s lockdown from parliament. The extension would push the end date to May 9, although Sanchez said  children would be allowed to leave their homes. 

“We have left behind the most extreme moments,” Sanchez said, according to Reuters. 

“These achievements are still insufficient and above all fragile,” he added, however. “We cannot put them at risk with hasty solutions.”