Spain has reported a grim record number of fatalities in the COVID-19 pandemic, with 832 new deaths in 24 hours.
ADVERTISEMENTSpain suffered a record-breaking 832 coronavirus deaths over 24 hours, the authorities announced on Saturday, bringing the country's death toll to 5,690.
The number of confirmed cases reached over 72,000, from 64,000 the day before. That's a slow-down in growth in percentage terms, but of little consolation to those burying loved ones.
As he officiated at yet another funeral in Madrid, Father Javier Fuenmayor spoke of the way people are coping not just with the loss of loved ones, but with the restrictions too.
"The families have seen in some ways limitations," the cleric explained. "They have all accepted it in different ways. Some have accepted it, they suffer. Others, don't understand, and the truth is it isn't easy for them to be by themselves living with what they are living."
Away from Madrid, one of the worst affected regions is Catalonia, where over a fifth of Spain's deaths from coronavirus have been registered.
Ambulance workers in Barcelona say they're exhausted, and that those they're taking to hospital are getting younger
"We've transported seven or eight patients today and all with COVID-19. All of them. And the average age is decreasing. They're not 80-years-old anymore, they are now 30 and 40," said ambulance emergency technician Pablo Roja.
Health workers in Spain are publicly applauded every evening for their work and sacrifice, but in some cases, the medical staff congratulate the sufferers who are on the road to recovery.
The country's severely strained health service now has 9,444 workers infected with COVID-19, a figure Amnesty International said is the highest among countries affected by the outbreak.