At least 4,089 people have now died from Covid-19 in Spain with a total of 56,188 cases recorded, according to Spanish Health Ministry data released Thursday.
But the rise in the death toll of 655 in the past 24 hours was a smaller increase than the record 738 set on Wednesday.
Spain continues to be the country with the second-highest number of fatalities from coronavirus, surpassed only by Italy. China, where the outbreak began, has had 3,291 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University figures.
Before Wednesday, Spain had recorded 47,610 total cases with 3,434 deaths.
Spain has been locked down and in a state of emergency since March 13. Top health official Fernando Simon predicted on Wednesday that the nation had still not reached the crest of its outbreak. The number of cases will continue to rise in the coming days, he said.
The lockdown was initially expected to last 15 days, but Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Sunday that the state of emergency could be extended for a further 14 days.
Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo is among those to test positive, the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement. She is quarantined in a hospital and making good progress, the statement said.
Elsewhere, Health Minister Salvador Illa said the government had agreed to buy $467 million worth of masks, tests, gloves and respirators from China, which will start arriving in weekly shipments from the end of this week.
The nation has appealed to NATO for international humanitarian assistance, requesting both medical and personal protective equipment.