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| - The number of deaths in Spain due to coronavirus exceeded 14,500 on Wednesday and there have been almost 147,000 confirmed cases, despite health authorities insisting the peak of the country's infections has passed. Here are five things about the pandemic in Spain, the world's second worst-hit country by COVID-19. After bringing the number of daily deaths down from the 950 reached on April 2, Spain registered 757 new deaths on Wednesday, representing an increase for a second day running. The death toll since the start of the outbreak rose to 14,555 while the number of reported cases climbed to 146,690. Despite these rises, the percentage increase of both deaths and cases remained stable, a trend that confirms the epidemic is slowing, according to health authorities. "We have achieved the first objective of reaching the peak of the curve and we are in a phase of slowdown," said Health Minister Salvador Illa. "The second objective should be to further reduce the spread. We need to make the number of discharged patients exceed the number of new patients," he added. But due to the lag between a patient catching the virus and them being taken to hospital, "there are still difficult weeks to come for our health system," said Minister Illa. Although some hospitals have been overwhelmed or stretched to their limits, the pressure on the health system and intensive care units (ICU) overall has decreased in recent days, said Maria Jose Sierra, from the health ministry's emergencies unit. "Yes, there is a de-escalation in this specific hospital and I believe in all hospitals," Jose Rivera, spokesman for the Severo Ochoa Hospital in Leganes, a suburb of Madrid, told AFP. Since March 14, Spain's population of 46.6 million has been subjected to strict confinement, which allows people to leave their homes only to buy essentials or walk the dog. The measure is expected to be extended until April 25. The authorities have regularly praised the public for their behaviour but warned against complacency, with Easter week approaching. There is a "minority that are not thinking about anyone else during this pandemic," said National Police commissioner, Jose Garcia Molina, on Wednesday. He cited the example of a man detained in Elche after accumulating 32 police penalties for being out in the streets for no reason. To express their gratitude to the health sector, a scientific research centre in Madrid announced on Wednesday it had sent hundreds of tulips from its botanical gardens to Madrid hospitals. This gesture follows the delivery of children's drawings and letters of encouragement to hospitals, as well as the daily applause at 8pm that Spaniards continue to take part in from their balconies. du/ta/pmr/har
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