A man walks in an empty Puerta del Sol square during lockdown, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Madrid, Spain April 5, 2020. REUTERS/Juan Medina

674 more deaths were recorded, bringing death toll to over 12,000

For the second day in a row, Spain has seen a significant decline in the daily death toll from coronavirus, reporting 674 more fatalities on Sunday.

In all, 12,418 people have died of the virus in the country, with a total of 130,759 confirmed cases.

Spanish officials have recently suggested that the country is on the verge of reaching a peak of new infections, but the country is still braced for a future peak in fatalities.

The data released by the Spanish government accounts for people who died after being diagnosed with the disease, but actual figures could be much higher as as hundreds or even thousands more die undiagnosed in nursing homes.

Government data released yesterday suggests that nearly 87% of all deaths occurred in people over 70 years old. Men have also died at a much higher ratio (1.73) than women.

Over 57,600 people have been hospitalized in Spain for complications related to the virus.

On Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the government will extend the country’s state of emergency until at least April 25. Spain has been under strict lockdown since March 14.

Together, Spain and Italy currently account for around 43% of the global COVID-19 deaths.