Photo from Green Cross
MANILA, Philippines — A leading health product manufacturer on Wednesday vowed to ramp up production to meet “unprecedented demand” of its products amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak hounding the country.
In a statement, Green Cross Inc. President Michael Co. said the company’s production lines “are now practically running around the clock.”
These products include alcohol, soap and bleach products to help address a surge in demand from consumers as well as hospitals.
“We are working longer hours to increase output and meet the unprecedented demand, particularly for alcohol,” Co said.
Co then appealed to consumers to avoid hoarding bottles of alcohol as he called for sobriety amid the current medical emergency and urged the public to cooperate with authorities.
“We urge consumers to do their part in ensuring the availability of alcohol by not hoarding, and by limiting purchases to two bottles as recommended by the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry),” he said.
Green Cross assured it would see to it that more products will be delivered to hospitals, health centers, and store counters in the coming days.
It also appealed to the various government authorities to ensure the passage of their employees, supply trucks, and delivery trucks.
“We are all working hard to make sure that the supplies needed to combat the spread of the virus are readily and sufficiently available for all, especially for our tireless health workers and other front-liners,” Co said.
“We are one with the nation in this fight against an invisible enemy. With everyone’s cooperation, we are confident that the country will be able to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and move toward recovery,” he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte has placed the Philippines under a state of calamity with the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases so far at 194.
Of the number, at least 14 have died from the disease while seven patients have so far recovered.
The entire island of Luzon has also been placed under an enhanced community quarantine.