MADRID (SPAIN) – Spain’s COVID-19 death toll might be nearly 60% higher than the official figure, which was up to 28,432, as per an investigation by El Pais newspaper published on Sunday.
The country’s official death toll includes only people who formally tested positive with the coronavirus.
El Pais reached a total of 44,868 deaths. If confirmed, it would make Spain’s outbreak the second dangerous in Europe after Britain’s.
Spain’s health ministry, however, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The El Pais figure falls with figures from the National Epidemiology Centre and National Statistics Centre (INE), which records excess mortality by comparing deaths across the country with historical averages.
In June, the INE recorded 43,945 more deaths in the first 21 weeks of 2020 when compared with the same period of 2019.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.