Spain police use water cannon to disinfect area

Spanish police on Monday used a water cannon normally used to disperse crowds to disinfect the streets of Madrid as part of measures to halt the spread of the new coronavirus.

The truck has been adapted with assistance from the Mechanical Engineering school of the Alcala de Henares University.

Using the powerful pump of the water cannon, an especially manufactured nozzle is able to turn the disinfectant solution into nanometric size - the same molecular size as the COVID-19 virus.

Spain overtook China in reported coronavirus infections as the outbreak stretched scores of Spanish hospitals to their breaking point.

With a population of 47 million people to China's 1.4 billion, Spain saw its official tally of infections climb past 85,000.

It also reported over 800 new deaths, for an overall toll of more than 7,300.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.