Hope for Britain as Spain coronavirus deaths see smallest rise for two weeks while France and Germany lower fatalities
SPAIN saw its smallest rise in coronavirus deaths for nearly two weeks today as France, Germany and Italy all recorded lower fatalities.
The new figures offer a glimmer of hope to millions battling the bug across a beleaguered Europe that countries may be starting to turn the tide on the deadly disease.
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In Spain – one of the worst hit countries on the continent – the daily death toll dropped for the fourth straight day today, with 637 patients dying overnight, taking the total to 13,055, the government said.
Though Spain has the second-highest death toll in the world after Italy, the number of deaths each day has been falling since Thursday's peak of 950, according to health ministry figures.
After yesterday’s fall, the country’s PM Pedro Sanchez said: “We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
In Germany too, the daily death toll fell to 92 – the lowest in the week – taking the total from 1,342 to 1,434.
We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Pedro Sanchez, Spanish PM
The number of new confirmed cases in the country also fell for the fourth straight day in a row, in a sign that lockdown measures might be beginning to work.
The country announced 3,677 new infections – lower than the 5,936 reported on Sunday – taking the national total to 95,391, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases.
France’s hospital death toll also fell for the second day running yesterday, while intensive care admissions slowed.
The French health ministry said 357 people died from Covid-19 in hospitals, compared with 441 in the previous 24 hours, taking the total toll in hospitals to 5,889.
It said that 2,189 people had died in nursing homes since March 1, taking France’s total death toll to over 8,000.
And Italy – the hardest hit country in Europe – yesterday reported its lowest daily Covid-19 death toll since March 19, at 525.
This came a day after deaths in the country dipped below those in Britain for the first time.
The number of patients in badly stretched intensive care units also fell for a second day running, while new cases saw their smallest rise in five days, increasing by 4,316.
And in a sign of hope for the UK, Italian health chiefs are now discussing how to go about lifting lockdown restrictions under “phase two” of the country’s coronavirus strategy – though they could not give a timescale.
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Silvio Brusaferro, head of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy’s top health institute, said: “The curve has reached a plateau and begun to descend.
“It is a result that we have to achieve day after day.
“If this is confirmed, we need to start thinking about the second phase and keep down the spread of this disease.”
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