By Alyssa McMurtry
OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – More than 3 million people have now tested positive for COVID-19 in Spain, the Health Ministry announced on Tuesday.
While this figure is already staggering for the country of 47 million, the actual number of infections in Spain is likely to be much higher.
A government study looking at blood samples estimated that around 4.7 million people had contracted the virus before December 2020.
Since the study was conducted, Spain has detected nearly 1.4 million more cases, suggesting that well over 6 million people – around 13% of the population – have caught the virus since the first cases were reported in early 2020.
New infections, though, are declining as the wave triggered by the Christmas holidays subsides amid strict measures.
However, fatalities remain at levels topped only by the worst days of last spring.
The Health Ministry reported 766 more deaths on Tuesday, raising the overall count to 63,061.
While many regions of Spain have closed or restricted the hospitality sector’s operations, the High Court of the Basque Country on Tuesday allowed bars and restaurants to reopen even in high-risk areas.
According to the ruling, there is no solid evidence that bars and restaurants lead to an increase in infections.
It cited Spanish epidemiological findings that “around 80%” of recent cases originated from private gatherings of friends and families over the holiday season.
Critics of the data say it is easier for contact tracers to link infections in family members and friends than in places where people do not know each other, such as bars or public transport.
The court decision coincided with widespread protests from Spain’s ailing hospitality sector, which has been highly critical of what they call the “criminalization” of the sector.
The Spanish government also announced on Tuesday that it will extend the travel ban on the UK, Brazil, and South Africa until March 2 out of concern over the new virus variants.
Border control measures with Portugal will also remain in force until March, the government said.
Spain has administered 2.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to date, with 838,700 people having received the full treatment.
