Some 12,298 health workers have tested positive for coronavirus in Spain, deputy health emergency chief Maria Jose Sierra said at a news conference on Monday.

With 6,549 new cases of coronavirus infection reported in the past 24 hours in Spain, the country's total number of COVID-19 cases has climbed to 85,195, according to the daily figures published by the Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Services on Monday. 

Spain's health emergency chief Fernando Simon, who is leading the country's response to the coronavirus epidemic and maintains regular contact with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, has tested positive for the virus, Maria Jose Sierra said.

Speaking at a daily news conference where she replaced Simon, Sierra said the trend in daily infections had changed since the introduction of lockdown measures, with new infections now rising at roughly 12 percent a day, compared with around 20 percent before March 25.