Coronavirus: Video shows patients lying on Madrid hospital floor as deaths soar

Victoria Bell
Updated ·3-min read

Harrowing footage shows sick people lying in the corridors of a packed Madrid hospital as Spain's coronavirus cases soared to 33,089 and the death toll reached 2,206.

Patients are seen sprawled on a tile floor, with some appearing to be hooked up to oxygen tanks and IV drips.

Some of them can be heard coughing and spluttering as they lie on towels and coats awaiting beds in the emergency department of the Infanta Leonor Hospital in Madrid on Friday night.

The footage was published by local media to encourage more people to stay at home and obey social distancing restrictions to stop the spread of the virus, reports El Mundo.

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Sick patients are seen lying on towels and coats on the floor as they wait to be seen at the emergency ward in the Infanta Leonor Hospital in Madrid. (Newsflash)
Sick patients are seen lying on towels and coats on the floor as they wait to be seen at the emergency ward in the Infanta Leonor Hospital in Madrid. (Newsflash)

The Ministry of Health said it was a "specific moment that occurred on the night of March 20 due to a large influx of patients to the Emergencies of the Infanta Leonor Hospital”.

The Spanish government said the situation has improved since then, according to local media.

Madrid has had to convert major conference centre IFEMA on the outskirts of Madrid into a temporary hospital to deal with the number of people needing medical attention.

On Sunday, dozens of coronavirus patients were moved to the makeshift hospital, which is to be fitted with 5,500 hospital beds.

Patients are seen sprawled on the tile floor, with some appearing to be hooked up to oxygen tanks and IV drips. (Newsflash)
Patients are seen sprawled on the tile floor, with some appearing to be hooked up to oxygen tanks and IV drips. (Newsflash)

Soldiers helped move 200 patients from area hospitals to the centre, where 1,300 hospital beds have so far been set up.

Images released by the regional government showed medical workers in protective gowns and face masks setting up the facility and cleaning the surrounding areas.

Read more: Life in coronavirus lockdown in Madrid

The World Health Organization now considers Spain an epicentre of coronavirus transmission along with Italy, which has recorded more than 59,000 cases, more than any other country except China.

Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday he would ask parliament to extend a state of emergency until 11 April to try to curb the spread of coronavirus after the country recorded 394 new deaths.

MADRID, SPAIN - MARCH 23: A worker of the Community of Madrid, completely protected, is seen disinfecting the tube station at IFEMA during the third day at operation of the campaign hospital held at three pavilions at fair IFEMA to attend coronavirus patients from different hospitals of Madrid on March 23, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via Getty Images)
A worker disinfects the tube station at IFEMA during the operation to convert the conference centre into a makeshift hospital for coronavirus patients from different hospitals. (Getty)
MADRID, SPAIN - MARCH 22: In this handout from the Comunidad de Madrid, health workers prepare to receive the first patients with coronavirus at Ifema exhibition complex on March 22, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. The Community of Madrid and the UME (Spanish Emergency Army Unit) are installing a specific hospital for COVID-19 with 5,500 beds and an UCI (Intensive Care Unit). The number of people confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Spain has increased to at least 25,400, with the latest death toll reaching 1,381 according to the country’s Health Ministry. (Photo by Comunidad de Madrid via Getty Images)
Health workers prepare to receive the first patients at IFEMA exhibition complex on Sunday. (Getty)

A nationwide 15-day state of emergency was first announced on 14 March barring people from leaving home except for essential outings such as buying food or seeking medical care.

"I know it is a drastic measure... but experts agree that it is an effective measure in the fight against coronavirus," Sanchez told a news conference after holding talks via video with the heads of Spain's regional governments.

The Spanish government said on Saturday it would distribute another 500,000 masks to healthcare workers and 800,000 for patients, along with bringing in more than 640,000 coronavirus tests.

Authorities have called up 52,000 extra workers to help the country's health service as it struggles to contain the virus, including 14,000 retired doctors and nurses.

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