Spain's daily coronavirus death toll has been on hold for several days now, generating widespread uncertainty about the real state of the epidemic that has claimed more than 27,000 lives.
The health ministry's emergencies coordinator Fernando Simon, who for months has given a daily briefing on the pandemic's evolution, acknowledged the "astonishment" and "confusion" generated by the figures.
The ministry changed its method of collecting data on confirmed cases and fatalities on 25 May, initially giving a daily death toll of between 50 and 100.
But the figure then fell to fewer than five per day and on some days there were no deaths at all. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez even told parliament there had been "no deaths" for several days,