China said Monday it “urgently needs” protective medical equipment as the death toll in the country from a highly contagious coronavirus passed that of the 2002 SARS crisis, with more than 17,000 infected.
“What China urgently needs at present are medical masks, protective suits, and safety goggles,” the foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a press briefing.
People have been flocking to online and brick-and-mortar retailers to purchase face masks in an attempt to protect themselves from the disease.
And while experts have said that face masks aren’t necessary or even that effective — hygiene practices like handwashing and keeping a distance from people known to be infected will do — demand for the masks has reportedly exceeded supply in cities across the world. Major internet sellers are also seeing demand outstrip what they’re able to provide.
Top-selling Amazon suppliers PacingMed and BLBM are both sold out, with the companies saying on Amazon that they don’t know “when or if” their products will be back in stock. They’ve also warned consumers not to purchase counterfeit products, Business Insider reported.
Epidemiologists and infectious diseases experts have cautioned against panic as the number of cases linked to the new coronavirus in China continues to rise. Some warn that the widespread scramble for face masks is unwarranted.
In fact, they cautioned that hoarding behavior by those who do not exhibit respiratory symptoms have sparked concerns in medical circles that there could be a possible shortage of personal protective equipment in the coming weeks.
“Panic purchases of face masks in low-risk countries like the U.S. is not warranted. People who are well should refrain from hoarding masks ‘just in case’ they need it, as this may lead to a lack of masks in settings that really need it,” said Annelies Wilder-Smith, a professor of emerging infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
