Spain: 5% of the population infected with the virus, more than 10% in the Madrid region

Only 5% of the Spanish population has been infected with the new coronavirus, but this rate rises to more than 10% in the Madrid region and in other areas of the center of the country, according to a study published Wednesday by the government.

Read also: Less than 10% of the infected population in the two most affected French regions

"The study finds that 5% of the Spanish population has been in contact with the virus, just over 2 million people," said Health Minister Salvador Illa, commenting on the first partial results of this study. sero-epidemiological launched on April 27 and concerning a sample of more than 60,000 people.

These results confirm that the virus has circulated much more in the center of the country - where the capital Madrid is located - which has paid the heaviest price for the pandemic.

The prevalence rate is 11.3% in the Madrid region, which is asking the government to authorize it to start decontainment next week, after being excluded from the process launched on Monday in part of the country.

The highest rates were recorded in the neighboring regions of Castile and Leon (14.2% in the province of Soria) and Castile-La Mancha (13.5% in the province of Cuenca). On the other hand, in the province of Barcelona (East), also very affected by the pandemic, the rate is only 7.1%. In other provinces of the South, East or North-West of the country, it is much lower as in Seville (2.3%).

Blood test

This study shows that the country, one of the most affected in the world by the pandemic, is far from a sufficient level, estimated at 65-70%, to achieve collective immunity and avoid a second wave.

Read also: Coronavirus: is the fear of a second epidemic wave justified?

The Spanish government has so far released only the results of a first wave of "rapid tests" for antibody testing, which is done through a prick in the finger, and has not yet released the results of the other blood tests.

For Minister Illa, this study gives reason to the Spanish government which implemented a cautious deconfinement in phases, adapted according to the territories, and which started this week only for half of the Spaniards.

A study published Wednesday in France showed that less than 10% of the population had been contaminated in the Paris region and in the North East, the two areas most affected in France, and 4.4% nationally.

Spain is the fourth most bereaved country in the world by the pandemic, with 27,104 deaths, including 184 new deaths in the past 24 hours. In addition, 228,691 cases were confirmed in the country by virological PCR tests.