Another 514 people have died in Spain over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 2,696, as the number of infections surged towards 40,000, the government said Tuesday. 

The coronavirus death toll in Spain surged to 2,182 after 462 people died within 24 hours, the health ministry said on Monday.

The number of people infected by COVID-19 in Spain soared past 13,700 on Wednesday with the number of deaths rising to almost 600, government data showed. 

Spain on Tuesday confirmed nearly 2,000 new cases of COVID-19, sending the total spiralling past 11,000, with 491 deaths, the health ministry said. 

Spain has registered nearly 1,000 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of cases to 8,744, the health ministry said on Monday. 

Spain's equality minister has tested positive for coronavirus and has been quarantined with her partner, deputy prime minister and Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, a government statement said Thursday.

"The minister (Irene Montero) is in a good condition and second deputy prime minister Pablo Iglesias is also in quarantine due to the situation," the statement said. 

Spain tried Wednesday to prevent the spread of the coronavirus from Italy after eight cases of the flu-like disease were detected within a 24-hour period all linked to the country.

The death toll from a violent storm that has wrought havoc across huge swathes of Spain's eastern and southern coastline rose to 11 on Thursday, with rescue workers still searching for four people.

Spain's prime minister has said he will meet the head of Catalonia's separatist government in early February, although discussion on any independence referendum will be off the table.

Rescuers on Wednesday found a body at a chemical plant in northeastern Spain, raising to two those killed when an explosion ripped through the facility, triggering a massive blaze which raged through the night.