Spain’s virus surge hits mental health of frontline workers

A Covid-19 patient receives treatment in the ICU of the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, Spain, (Felipe Dana/AP)

The unrelenting increase in Covid-19 infections in Spain following the festive season is again putting a strain on hospitals and threatening the mental health of doctors and nurses who have been at the forefront of the pandemic for nearly a year.

In Barcelona’s Hospital del Mar, the critical care capacity has more than doubled and is nearly full, with 80% of ICU beds occupied by coronavirus patients.