Spain overtakes China in Covid-19 deaths, rising to second worldwide

Deceased victims of the virus are transported to the Palacio de Hielo ice rink in Madrid on Tuesday, which has been converted into a morgue. Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Spain has recorded 3,434 deaths from coronavirus, the health ministry announced Wednesday – making it the country with the second highest death toll in the world.

That’s an increase of over 27% on Tuesday’s figures. The country now has 47,610 cases in total. 

In China, where the outbreak began, 3,281 people have died, according to its National Health Commission.

Italy has the highest death toll in the world at 6,820, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

A top Spanish health official, Fernando Simon, said Wednesday that he expects the number of Covid-19 cases to continue increasing in the coming days, despite having said earlier this week that he expected infections to peak soon.