MADRID, April 26 (Xinhua) -- COVID-19 infections in Spain have risen sharply following the elimination of the mandatory wearing of facemasks indoors, data published Tuesday by the Ministry of Health showed.

       The Ministry reported that the 14-day incidence of the virus rose from 555.47 cases per 100,000 inhabitants to 608.16 in people aged 60 and over between April 22 and 26.

       The Health Ministry now only publishes the 14-day incidence for the over-60's and not the population as a whole.

       This was accompanied by an increase in hospital occupancy by COVID-19 patients to just over 5 percent, although the number of intensive care beds occupied by COVID-19 patients increased only slightly to 4 percent.

       Authorities attributed the increases to the greater social interaction during the Easter holidays and the end of the mandatory use of facemasks indoors, which came into effect on April 20, just after the Easter break.