Five percent of the Spanish population has so far been infected with the new coronavirus, according to a study published by the Spanish government on Wednesday.
The results, based on a sero-epidemiological study involving over 60,000 people, showed that the virus circulated more widely in the centre of the country, where the prevalence rate is twice as high.
Madrid has a prevalence rate is 11.3%, according to the study, and the country's highest rates were recorded in the neighbouring regions of Castilla y León (14.2% in the province of Soria) and Castilla-La Mancha (13.5% in the province of Cuenca).
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On the other hand, in the province of Barcelona (East), also heavily affected by the pandemic, the rate is only 7.1%.
In other provinces in the south, east and north-west of the country, the rate is much lower. Seville, for example, has a 2.3% prevalence rate.
The Spanish government has so far only communicated the results of a first wave of "rapid tests" for antibody determination, which is done by a finger prick, and has yet to release the results of other tests based on blood samples.
For Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa, the study proves that the government was right to implement a cautious phased deconfinement, adapted according to the region.
Spain is the fourth most affected country in the world by the pandemic, counting 27,104 deaths, including 184 new deaths in the last 24 hours.
The Brussels Times
