Madrid doctor warns of surprising complications

The director of a Spanish field hospital set up to help manage the amount of coronavirus patients in the country has warned people to stay on their guard against the illness.

Antonio Zapatero, director of the IFEMA field hospital in Madrid, said doctors were never totally relaxed with any case of the virus and it was only after the 8th or 9th day they could begin to feel confident that a patient was beating it.

He said: "Watch out with this illness because suddenly you have a patient that appears okay who suddenly has a complication, normally a breathing problem, which requires to be cared for."

He said there was good news for Madrid as hospitals were seeing less admissions and a lot of patients being sent home.

Jonan Basterra, who has been a patient at the IFEMA hospital for over a week, said he was looking forward to a bowl of ice cream and to being able to shave.

He praised the quality of the makeshift hospital which was created in a matter of days.

Spain has recorded 110,238 infections, placing it just behind Italy's 115,242 cases, which is the most in Europe.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.