How Spain Became the Worst-Hit European Country of COVID-19 After Italy
By Denali Lerch
The world is hearing the dramatic, war-like stories of health care workers and civilians dealing with the surging cases of coronavirus in Western Europe. Many of these stories are being told from Italy because of the drastic death rates from the virus, but Spain is not far behind.
Of the 40,000 confirmed cases in Spain since March 24, 5,400 (nearly 14%) of them are health care workers, according to a report in the New York Times. Health care workers are swamped with new cases coming in and hospitals are on the brink of collapse.
“The virus was already among us when we were really only testing those who came from Wuhan and then from Italy,” Ángela Hernández Puente, the deputy secretary-general of the Spanish doctors’ union, told the New York Times. “Some of our doctors, unfortunately, worked without adequate protection and acted as vectors.”
Spain is considered a “hotspot” for the coronavirus. The country has unseasonably warm weather, major events such as Champions League Football and café culture all factoring in to provide easy access for spreading, according to CNN. Additionally, many people have traveled for sports events, causing the unknown spread of the virus.
What will happen next?
On March 30, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Spain surpassed China, making the Iberian nation the worst-hit country after Italy, according to Business Insider. A recent issue occurred where coronavirus tests from China produced false-negative results.
These tests only correctly identify people with the virus 30% of the time, sources told the Spanish newspaper El País. They recalled these tests and decided to send them back.
Spain remains in complete lockdown, as the government counts on limited social interactions to help contain the spread of the disease.
“We may be entering a phase of stabilization, but we haven’t reached the peak yet,” said Health Minister Salvador Illa at a news conference in Madrid, according to Bloomberg.
The number of cases may fluctuate depending on various factors — the development of medicine and the availability of tests — but health care workers across the world are diligently working on decreasing the numbers, even if it puts their own lives at risk.
