Covid cases in Spain surge

Madrid, Jan 4 (IANS) The Spanish Ministry of Health has announced a huge spike in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country over the New Year.

The country registered 372,766 new cases of the virus from December 30 to Monday, taking the total number of infections to 6,667,511 in Spain since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, reports Xinhua news agency.

A total of 168 deaths were reported in this period, meaning that 89,573 people have lost their lives due to the virus in the country.

The 14-day incidence rate of Covid-19 saw an unprecedented rise of 520 points over the four days to 2,295 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

This is the highest 14-day incidence rate ever recorded in the country, and the first time it has crossed the 2,000-case benchmark.

The Ministry reported that the highly contagious Omicron variant was responsible for 43 per cent of all the new cases in Spain.

The country's vaccination campaign is continuing at a rapid pace, with 90.3 per cent of the population aged 12 and above fully vaccinated.

A total of 11 million booster doses have also been administered, while nearly one million children aged between five and 11 have been given their first shot, according to official figures.