Spain registered an overnight jump of 738 deaths from coronavirus on Wednesday, pushing the death toll above that of China, where the disease originated, for the first time as the country struggles to cope with soaring numbers of infections.

With 3,434 fatalities, Spain now has the second-highest number of deaths globally after Italy's 6,820, in an outbreak that has seen a Madrid skating rink turned into a makeshift morgue and dozens dead in overwhelmed nursing homes across the country.

Spanish medical staff, who themselves account for thousands of infected cases, have taken out lawsuits against the government complaining of the lack of basic protective equipment like masks, scrubs and gloves.