Spanish coronavirus deaths up 44,000 in 2020

Spain's national statistics body says nearly 44,000 more people have died since the beginning of 2020 than in the same period a year earlier — an increase of 24% amid the coronavirus pandemic. The data released Wednesday also revealed a shocking 155% spike in mortality during the week from March 30 to April 5. This year there were 20,575 deaths in Spain that week, compared with 8,081 in 2019.

The region around the Spanish capital has seen the highest increase in estimated fatalities, the National Statistics Institute said. The institute's data is higher than the official Health Ministry death toll of the pandemic, which on Wednesday stood at 27,127. That counts only those who died having tested positive for COVID-19. Officials say the disparities are due to people who died without being tested or from other causes. The figure for excess deaths is seen as a more accurate reflection of the toll wreaked by the pandemic.