Spain announces further decrease in virus numbers

Spain's health minister said on Monday that authorities were aiming this week to reach the second stage of the country's strategy to reduce the new coronavirus cases.Salvador Illa made the announcement from a news conference in Madrid but warned against complacency."It's not over yet, far from it," Illa said.

Spain's latest figures showed the increase in new cases has slowed to 3%, from 22% on March 16.Illa said authorities have been working for several days on how to eventually scale back the measures, which include self-isolation, but he didn't provide any details.

He indicated there would be a transition period, as measures were gradually eased."Now we need to face the second stage which is the moment of transition and descaling, the government in Spain is already working on this."Spain currently has 135,032 confirmed cases, 13,055 deaths and 40,437 recovered - according to John Hopkins University at 1400 GMT.

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 could lead to death.

(Image Credit: AP)