Spain reports 394 new coronavirus deaths
Coronavirus patients arrive at a military hospital set up at the IFEMA conference center in Madrid, Spain, March 21, 2020. Picture taken March 21, 2020. (Comunidad de Madrid/Handout via Reuters)


Spain's COVID-19 death toll soared to 1,720 on Sunday from 1,326 the day before, according to the latest data from the Health Ministry.

The one-day rise in deaths of 394 was higher than the previous day's 324. Spain is grappling with Europe's second-worst coronavirus outbreak.

The number of registered cases in the country rose to 28,572 on Sunday from 24,926 in the previous tally announced Saturday, the official data showed.

Of those, 2,575 people have been cured of the virus, while 1,785 are hospitalized in intensive care units.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Saturday that the government would do whatever necessary to combat the pandemic and warned that "the worst is yet to come."

The Spanish government wants to extend for another 15 days a 15-day state of emergency it imposed on March 14 to try to curb the spread of the coronavirus, multiple Spanish media outlets reported Sunday.