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Most of the Madrid region, the heart of one of the most infected countries in Europe right now, will likely get the coronavirus, a top local official said Thursday.
Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the president of the Comunidad de Madrid autonomous region, predicted during a radio interview on Thursday that 8 of 10 people in Madrid would become infected, with most experiencing only mild symptoms. For the 15% of the population that is most vulnerable, it will, she said, be a “problem.”
Ayuso herself is in quarantine after testing positive for the virus.
She complained that the central government had not been effectively providing required health-related materials to her regional jurisdiction.
With the country in full lockdown, infection numbers are still accelerating at an alarming rate, with a total of 17,147 infections, and 3,431 new cases, an increase of 25% in 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry on Thursday.
Ayuso tweeted on Thursday that 1,100 people had recovered to date in the region.
The country on Thursday recorded 209 further deaths, bringing the total to 767.
The virus, she said in the radio interview, has likely “been with us longer than we think.”
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