The Ministry of Health confirmed on Friday that there were 5,252 new cases of coronavirus in Spain in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections to 188,068.
The Government has also changed the notification rules for coronavirus data that the Autonomous Communities send to the Ministry of Health, from now on data must include the total number of coronavirus deaths since January 31.
The new instruction which was published in the Official State Gazette, or BOE on Friday affects the data tables corresponding to epidemiological information and the hiring of human resources and aims to increase efficiency in the management of the Covid-19 crisis.
Between 2000 and 2100 the Ministry of Health must be advised of the total number of coronavirus fatalities since January 31.
They are also required to state the number of new cases confirmed via PCR tests, the number of people with and without symptoms, as well as how many patients have been admitted to Hospitals or other Health Centres authorised to care for coronavirus patients and how many are in the Intensive Care Units.
Besides confirming the number of admissions, they must include the number of people discharged from hospital, the number of patients being treated at home and the number of diagnostic confirmations carried out by means of antibody tests.
The report should include infections already resolved at the time of notification.
All Public and Private Hospital Centres with ICU beds, resuscitation or post-anaesthesia recovery facilities to attend to cases of COVID-19 are required to report the total number of beds being used in critical units with and without a ventilator and the total number of admissions.
They must also account for the number of beds occupied by both infected and uninfected patients, the admissions and discharges of coronavirus patients in the last 24 hours and the number of discharges expected in the next 24 hours.
Every day between 1300 and 1400 all Centres must send data on emergency pressure for COVID-19.
Every week between 1300 and 1400 the Autonomous Communities, the National Institute of Health Management and all Hospitals and Health Centres must advise how much stock they have of masks, PCT equipment, swabs, gloves, protective glasses and hydro-alcoholic solution as well as the number of invasive mechanical ventilation equipment and medicalised and non-medicalised ambulances.
Every Friday the Autonomous Communities and the National Institute of Health Management will also advise how many Staff Contracts have been issued.