PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests carried out on Monday detected 2,759 new cases, while the remaining new cases are from tests conducted in the preceding days.

 

The number of deaths also rose by 80 in one day to 33,204, with 406 people losing their lives in the past seven days, Xinhua reported.

 

The Autonomous Community of Madrid continues to be the worst affected area in Spain, with an increase of 1,126 new infections, taking the total cases in the region to 268,022, with 9,789 deaths.

 

The figures came amid the controversy over the Spanish government's decision on Oct. 9 to impose a 15-day State of Alarm on the Autonomous Community of Madrid, with restrictions on mobility in the Madrid municipal area and 12 more municipalities in the region in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

 

Speaking on Spanish radio Cadena Ser on Tuesday morning, Health Minister Salvador Illa insisted that conditions "do not exist" to lift the restrictions, but added that "if" they were "met during the week", he would "propose lifting the confinement."

 

Meanwhile, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, president of the Madrid Region, held a joint press conference on Tuesday afternoon with Mayor of Madrid Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, asking for the State of Alarm to be lifted, with the mayor accusing the central government of "kidnapping" the residents of the city.

 

As the world is in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, countries across the globe -- including Britain, China, Russia and the US -- are racing to find a vaccine.

 

According to the website of the World Health Organization (WHO), as of October 2, there were 193 Covid-19 candidate vaccines being developed worldwide, and 42 of them were in clinical trials.