MADRID, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The new deaths from the COVID-19 in Spain dropped on Saturday for the second day in a row, while the number of new cases continues its fall, according to the daily figures published by the Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare.
A total of 809 people lost their lives from the novel coronavirus between Friday and Saturday, which is 123 less than the 932 deaths registered between Thursday and Friday, and 141 fewer than the record high of 950 between Wednesday and Thursday. That brought the death toll of the country to 11,744.
The growth of new cases also continued to slow down as the total number of confirmed cases climbed to 124,736 from 117,710, an increase of 7,026, down from the 7,472 new cases recorded on Friday.
57,612 patients needed hospital treatment in Spain now, among which 6,532 required intensive care, an increase of 116 over the last 24 hours, but down from the rise of 324 between Thursday and Friday.
With the number of recoveries rising by 3,706 to 34,219 on Saturday, that implies a slight reduction in the pressure Spanish hospitals have been subject to over the past three weeks.
Madrid and the Catalan region continue to be the two worst affected areas in Spain. Madrid has registered 4,723 deaths while the Catalan region has now registered 2,508 deaths.
Spanish TV network RTVE reported that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will talk with opposition leaders on Saturday afternoon with a view to reaching a consensus to extend the current State of Alarm.
The State of Alarm was decreed on March 14 and is due to expire on April 12, but it is likely that Sanchez will seek to extend it until April 26 or even May 3.
A State of Alarm is the first of three emergency levels a Spanish government can apply under exceptional circumstances, with the others being a "A State of Exception" and "Martial Law". A State of Alarm grants the government special powers to limit the movement of citizens, control the means of production and use private assets if needed and also use the military to carry out essential logistical and supply jobs.
