Metro drugstores run out of masks, disinfectants as first nCoV case confirmed

EERIE SIGN: As the 2019 novel coronavirus  spreads,  protective masks become hard-to-find items. PHOTO/Katrina Hallare

MANILA, Philippines – People all over Metro Manila have flocked to drug stores to buy face masks, sanitizers and other disinfectants following confirmation that a Chinese tourist had tested positive for the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

Photos taken from a drug store in Maysilo Circle, Mandaluyong on Thursday evening — hours after the Department of Health (DOH) announcement — showed a notice telling customers face masks have been sold out.

“Very, very, very sorry po talaga, ubos na po face mask (we’re very sorry, the face masks have run out),” the sign said.

“Lahat ng klase ng alcohol, and lysol (disinfectant) na lang po, thanks (only alcohols and disinfectants are available, thanks),” it added.

For this branch, even hand sanitizers pic.twitter.com/DrnZVpYx7K

— Tetch Torres-Tupas (@tetchtorres) January 30, 2020

Another drug store in Cubao, Quezon City, also said that they have run out of face masks.

The shortage of face masks was expected by many after news broke out that a 38-year-old Chinese national was infected with the 2019-nCoV — especially since masks were in demand among Metro Manila and Southern Luzon residents as a precautionary measure for the Taal Volcano eruption last January 12.

READ: BREAKING: DOH confirms first case of novel coronavirus in PH

READ: Sold-out: Stores run out of face masks after Taal spews ash

This recent strain of the coronavirus, compared to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, originated in Wuhan, China.  Since then, more than 7,000 persons have been infected, with 170 confirmed dead.

The virus has forced Wuhan’s local government to shut down outbound train trips and flights, to avoid the spread of the virus.  However, reports say that every region in mainland China has a confirmed 2019-nCoV case.

READ: China virus death toll rises to 170, transmission a concern

Asian demand for face masks soars

Panic and pollution drive the market for protective face masks, so business is booming in Asia, where fear of the virus from China is straining supplies and helping make mask-wearing the new normal.

Demand for face masks and hand sanitizing liquid has soared, as both local residents and visitors from China stock up on such products as a reassuring precaution.

Factories are rushing to boost production as the number of infections and deaths from the new virus first found in the central Chinese city of Wuhan climbs. In some parts of Asia, wearing surgical masks has become mandatory, for now.

ANOTHER STORE YIELDS NO MASK PHOTO/Consuelo Marquez

“Sales of disinfectant products and hygiene masks have been rising since last week. First Chinese tourists came to our store to buy these products to bring back with them. They bought in bulk, like two or three boxes per person,” said Varumporn Krataitohg, an employee of the NanBhesaj drugstore in central Bangkok.

The outbreak began before the Chinese Lunar New Year, when tens of thousands of Chinese tourists visit Thailand, Japan and other parts of Asia. Demand has risen by 80% starting with this past weekend’s Chinese New Year, said Varumporn.

“Now we are out of disinfectant gel for hands. The maker just sent just new lots this morning and by noon we were sold out,” she said. “People keep coming and asking for these products.”

Japanese often wear surgical masks to protect against colds, flu or hay fever. Shelves of some stores were scooped bare as Japanese health officials confirmed four cases of the virus.

Christine Yuuki, a 25-year-old tourist from Hefei, west of Nanjing, was shopping in Tokyo for masks for friends and family back in China.

“In China, masks are very expensive,” she said, adding that one little pack of masks costs more than 100 yuan ($14). “They are cheaper here and easier to buy.”

Iris Ohyama, a major maker of household goods and home appliances, said Monday its mask sales last week had tripled from week before. It has asked some workers at one of its two factories in China to cut short their 10-day Lunar New Year holiday and get back to work, it said.

Stocks of masks ran out quickly at outlets of South Korea’s biggest 24-hour convenience store, CU, at airports, bus terminals and other transportation hubs.

Sales of soap, hand sanitizers and mouthwash more than doubled, said CU’s parent company, BGF Retail. Overall, though, there were no immediate signs of major shortages in South Korea, which has reported four cases of the illness.

In Taiwan, likewise, the goverment said that there were enough masks and that current daily production capacity of 1.88 million face masks could be boosted to 2.44 million to meet any spike in demand.

Seven cases of the virus have been confirmed on the island, which has imposed a month-long ban on exports of two types of surgical masks to ensure they’ll be availabile.

Everyday use of surgical masks, once mainly confined to Japan and parts of China affected by major dust storms or smog, has expanded in recent years, mainly because of worsening air pollution.

Cambodia registered its first new virus case on Monday and launched a campaign to give away 1 million masks to people entering the country at Poipet, on its border with Thailand.

Indonesia, Asia’s third most populous country after China and India, has not confirmed any cases of the virus. At the request of its embassy, it’s sending 10,000 masks to China for distribution to Indonesians living there, said Agus Wibowo, a spokesman for the Health Ministry.

In Bangkok, consumers are faced with choosing between N95 masks, which many residents have worn during recent weeks of heavy air pollution, or plain surgical masks that can help block transmission of the virus and are more breathable.

Thailand, a favorite Chinese vacation destination, has 14 confirmed cases of the illness, the highest national total outside China.

While some stores were temporarily sold out, especially in places frequented by Chinese tourists, there’s no absolute shortage of masks, said Prayote Pensut, the deputy director general of the Thai Commerce Ministry’s Internal Trade Department.

Whether or not masks do much to prevent the virus from spreading, they seem to reassure many.

Wuhan is “pretty much contained,” said Ian Zhao, a 30-year-old engineer from Shenzhen who was visiting Bangkok’s ornate Grand Palace. So, “you just don’t worry about it too much, wash your hands, put on masks, just keep your personal hygiene every day. And it’s mostly fine.” With a report from Associated Press