Spaniards might be witnessing the advent of COVID-19's decline after new reported infections and fatalities decreased, following a two-day surge.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday had a hopeful tone before the national parliament appealing for an endorsement of a second two-week prolonging of Spain's emergency lockdown.
Spain had its third consecutive daily decline in the number of fatalities from the novel coronavirus outbreak as the nation recorded 674 fatalities on Sunday, April 5.
According to the health ministry, the total deaths now stand at 12,418, the highest in the world following Italy, since the coronavirus was detected in China in December.
Sanchez said the country is nearing the beginning of a decline of the pandemic.
The prime minister told the parliament that "the fire has started to come under control" before the vote on the extension of a state of emergency until April 26. Spain has recorded a total of 130,759 confirmed cases.
Spanish officials have recently suggested it is impending that the nation is about to reach a peak of newly infected cases, but the country is still braced for a peak in future deaths.
The pressures on hospital ICUs in Spain may have eased in the past days as new coronavirus cases decreased. However, the emotional and psychological toll the outbreak as taken on the healthcare workers is only starting to emerge.
According to a private survey, Spain's services industry registered "unprecedented contractions" in activity prior to rigid lockdown measures that took effect to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Paul Smith, economics director at IHS Markit, said, "The March survey laid bare the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated effort to contain the outbreak, with services companies registering unprecedented falls in activity, new work and confidence."
Spain registered Monday that the number of infected cases in the country had reached 135,302, up from 130,759 the previous day.
They reported 637 fatalities on Monday, down from 674 the previous day, and continuing a downwards streak after a peak of 950 registered on Thursday.
According to health officials, 5,756 new cases were confirmed with 683 new deaths over the latest 24-hour period. This is compared with 6,180 infected cases and 757 deaths on Wednesday.
It has taken about 21 days for indications that show the country's death rates and rates of new infection slowing down.
Having undergone lockdown on March 14, Spain recorded a three-day decline in deaths from the coronavirus on April 3. Fewer deaths and new cases of the virus were reported on Thursday.
The total of cases has reached 150,000 on Thursday, according to Health Ministry data. The total of fatalities rose by 683 to 15,238, a smaller gain than 757 from Wednesday.
According to Sanchez, "The fire starts to come under control... This war against the virus will be a total victory."
One of the world's hardest-hit nations alongside the U.S. and Italy, Spain has seen 152,446 infected cases and 15,238 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The total of people announced to have recovered has increased by 11%, to 38,080.
