MADRID, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from COVID-19 in Spain has surpassed 15,000, the Spanish government said Thursday, adding it expects a decline in the country's epidemic.
As of Wednesday night, the number of deaths from the virus had risen by 683 to 15,238, the Spanish Ministry for Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Services said. The daily count of deaths slightly dropped from 757 the previous day.
The total number of confirmed cases increased by 5,756 to 152,446, registering a 3.9-percent hike, down from the 4.4-percent rise 24 hours earlier.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday that the country is close to the beginning of a decline in its novel coronavirus epidemic.
The COVID-19 date is encouraging and "the fire has started to come under control," the prime minister told parliament before a vote on the extension of a state of emergency by another two weeks until April 26.
On Wednesday, Spain's Health Minister Salvador Illa said the country has "reached the peak of contagion," although it recorded a rise of new COVID-19 cases and deaths for a second day after four straight days of decline.
