U.S. big bucks turn global face mask hunt into 'Wild West'

A medical protective mask is seen as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Hanau, Germany, April 3, 2020. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

PARIS/BERLIN (Reuters) - The global scramble to secure face masks to shield frontline workers from the coronavirus has turned the marketplace into the "Wild West", with the United States often ready to outbid buyers who have already signed deals, officials from Europe to the Americas say.

In France and Germany, senior officials said the United States was paying far above the market price for masks from No. 1 producer China, on occasion winning contracts through higher bids even after European buyers believed a deal was done, and Brazil's health minister reported a similar incident.