Medical experts in China and around the world are scrambling to contain the Wuhan coronavirus that already killed thousands in the origin country alone but the severe shortage in surgical masks has added to the pains faced by the government.
China's Protective Gear Shortage Prompts Searchers to Purchase in Other Countries
The rising demand in surgical masks in China has prompted some people to search in other countries as supply runs out amid the intensifying the battle to contain the Wuhan coronavirus.
According to the South China Morning Post, some people have gone to other Asian countries in search of supplies to help health providers on the frontline to better care for themselves throughout the coronavirus crisis.
Among these people is Kent Cai Mingdong, who traveled to Indonesia and making as many surgical mask purchases as he can. He has collected at least 200,000 masks that he scoured from over 15 Indonesian cities.
Cai has also been arranging for friends in China and Chinese tourists to hand out the masks to health care professionals and other workers who are hard at work in preventing the further spread of the novel coronavirus.
However, prices are starting to hike and the supplies are falling short. Industry experts noted that the shortage in China, which is the world's largest manufacturer of these masks, only shows how extensive the coronavirus situation is.
Indian Manufacturers Scramble to Produce More Masks
Even outside China, Indian manufacturing plants are rushing to produce more face masks as people have been binge-buying masks in the country even if the coronavirus threat in India is not as wide-spread as that in China.
Director of Orthosut Biomedical & Engineering Company Manoj Rajawat noted that the country's domestic markets are almost "80 to 90 percent dry with a shortage of face masks," Livemint reported.
It is expected that the growing demand in global markets will also have an impact on the Indian market of medical supplies, especially if the coronavirus continues to spread and is not contained effectively.
British Dentists Impacted by Global Demand for Surgical Masks
Dentists in the United Kingdom may also feel the shortage in masks in the coming weeks as the demand continues to surge around the world.
According to BBC, the British Dental Association noted that both small and large-scale dental practices now have a limit of ordering only up to 100 masks per day and some practitioners have already aired their concerns about the issue.
Members of the dentists' trade union have been calling to let the union leaders know about the shortage in medical masks and while there are central stockpiles available, fears about inadequate supplies are still up.
It is worth noting that a typical surgery involving one dentist can use up around 250 masks within a week, making it a more critical scenario for larger practices should there be a widespread shortage in the country.
Even American States are Lacking
Some regions in the United States are also suffering from a shortage in surgical and safety masks as health professionals within the Bay Area recently expressed their concerns about the apparent shortage in the area.
California's Foothill clinics have been requesting to upgrade surgical masks to N95s amid increasing worries about the CoViD-19 strain, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
While Foothill was able to secure some supplies, the orders cannot be shipped yet. The clinics would have to wait for a couple of weeks before the N95 masks arrive, and companies in the U.S. are also starting to report shortages.
London Fashion Week Requires Face Masks for Attendees and Participants
In London, attendees and other participants of the London Fashion Week were spotted sporting designer face masks during the event's opening on Friday.
According to Aljazeera, British Fashion Council chief executive Caroline Rush noted that during this year's fashion fest, the organizers have decided to make "hygiene a priority" especially after multiple participants canceled their appearances on the show.
Organizers also said they are already expecting a significantly a smaller number of attendees, exhibitors, and potential business ties being forged through the event, considering that Chinese spending made up for a huge chunk of the world's total luxury sales over the past years.
