Spain buys 432mn euros in medical equipment from China

• Worth some 432 million euros ($467 million), the deal will cover 550 million masks, 5.5 million rapid test kits, 950 respirators and 11 million pairs of gloves to address shortages in Spain.

MADRID: Spain has signed a multimillion-euro contract with China to acquire medical supplies to fight the coronavirus epidemic, Health Minister Salvador Illa said Wednesday.

Worth some 432 million euros ($467 million), the deal will cover 550 million masks, 5.5 million rapid test kits, 950 respirators and 11 million pairs of gloves to address shortages in Spain, where the number of deaths reached 3,434 on Wednesday, overtaking the figure in China where the virus originated late last year.