The number of new coronavirus infections reported on Wednesday by the central Health Ministry, 38,869 in 24 hours, is by far the worst seen so far in the pandemic. The previous record was 25,595, on October 30. The figure was 53% up on the previous day, and is triple the highest figure seen during the first wave last year â although it should be noted that tests were only being carried out on the most serious cases at that time, and around two-thirds of infections are thought to have gone undiagnosed at that time.
But even bearing this in mind, the nearly 39,000 cases reported yesterday would still be at the maximum levels seen, and the real figure is likely even higher taking into account the fact that even now not all infections are detected by tests and that many asymptomatic cases do not seek medical treatment at all. In total, according to the ministry report, there have been 2,176,089 confirmed positive cases in Spain since the health crisis began.