Health

Spain reports over 43,000 coronavirus cases amid alarming surge

Madrid, Jul 13 (EFE).- Spain reported Tuesday 43,960 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, reaching a 14-day infection rate of 437 per 100,000 people, the highest figure since February, health ministry data showed.

The incidence rate among people from 20-29 years old – the most affected age group in this fifth wave – has reached 1,421 per 100,000 people, an alarming figure.

Young people across Spain are rushing to get vaccinated after regions like Madrid made its self-appointment service available for over-16s.

Spain’s health minister Carolina Darias announced Tuesday Spain would authorize pharmacies to sell Covid-19 self-diagnosis tests without a medical prescription in efforts to facilitate the detection of asymptomatic cases within the younger population.

Darias will bring the decree to the cabinet council, that could approve it by July 20.

The authorization for the sale of tests was disputed months ago, when several communities including the Madrid region requested that the self-diagnostic tests be available in pharmacies, a measure that the health ministry had previously ruled out.

As cases increase across the country, some regions have set back on nightlife restrictions including the closure of all nightlife venues in Catalonia and a night-time curfew in Valencia.

The health ministry also registered 13 new deaths from coronavirus even though the fatality rate in Spain has dropped to some 2 percent, official data showed. EFE

ra-lca/mp

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