Madrid, Oct 22 (IANS): Spain has recorded more than one million coronavirus cases, becoming the first western European country to pass that landmark figure, officials said citing data.

On Wednesday, the country reported 16,973 infections and 156 deaths in the previous 24 hours. Since its first diagnosed case on January 31, Spain has now recorded a total of 1,005,295 infections, the BBC reported.

It is the sixth nation worldwide to report one million cases after the US, India, Brazil, Russia and Argentina.

Europe has seen a surge in new infections over the last few months, forcing governments to bring in strict new regulations to try and control outbreaks and ensure hospitals do not become overwhelmed.

Spain was hit hard by coronavirus in the first months of the pandemic, and brought in some of the strictest measures to tackle it - including banning children from going outside.

Like most European countries, the country lessened its regulations as case numbers dropped. Politicians highlighted the need to bring back tourists as a way to boost the struggling economy.

But by the end of August new daily case numbers were rising by 10,000 a day. Hospital admissions have ticked up by 20 per cent in the past two weeks alone, while deaths have also begun to rise, with the toll climbing by 218 on Tuesday.

In total, 34,366 Covid-related deaths have been recorded.