Spain's daily coronavirus death toll rises again despite recent decline in Covid-19-linked fatalities
Spain's coronavirus-linked deaths rose again on Tuesday, after dropping for four straight days.
The number of people who died in the past 24 hours after contracting Covid-19 was 743, a slight increase from the 637 who died the previous day, the health ministry said.
Nearly 14,000 people have died in Spain after testing positive for the virus.
Confirmed cases topped 140,000 on Tuesday, up from around 135,000 the day before.
But Spain's health minister Jose Maria Sierra said that the up-tick in deaths was for administrative reasons.
He told a press conference: "What happens is normal, that there are oscillations after weekends, where reporting is not so punctual.
"The important thing is to see the trend and the accumulated figure of several days...you have to keep watching and see what happens in the week. "
Spain has been one of the worst-affected countries by the coronavirus pandemic so far.
Only the US has had more confirmed cases and only Italy has reported more virus-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The Spanish Government ordered a lockdown several weeks ago to slow the spread of the virus, in a similar move to many other countries.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said last week he would ask parliament to extend the quarantine until 26 April, arguing that the move was "saving lives".
He added: “We are at the start of the decrease in the epidemic. We are stronger than we think but we have to endure. With sacrifice, resistance and the spirit of victory.”
Dolors Sala Carrio, the mother of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was among recent coronavirus-related deaths in Spain.
Manchester City said: "Everyone associated with the club sends their most heartfelt sympathy at this most distressing time to Pep, his family and all their friends."
