Mask prices ramp up on Amazon and sell out in stores amid coronavirus outbreak

Fear of the spreading coronavirus has led to mask prices soaring and many businesses selling out despite evidence that most people who aren’t sick don’t need to wear them. 

Some businesses in the U.S. are completely sold out of masks while others are limiting how many a customer can buy after health authorities warned this week that Americans should start preparing for domestic acceleration of the virus.

There are now 60 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. and the first case where the origin of the disease is unknown was confirmed on Wednesday. 

Coronavirus has infected more than 80,000 people worldwide and killed nearly 3,000. 

The U.S. government said this week it would start stockpiling 300 million face masks. 

It comes as some hospital pharmacies have said they only have enough masks for two weeks and major wholesalers have been left unable to fill orders due to the increase in sales. 

Fear of the spreading coronavirus has led to mask prices soaring and many businesses selling out despite evidence that most people who aren’t sick don’t need to wear them

Home Depot, the nation's largest home improvement chain, has limited sales of N95 respirators to 10 per person

Home Depot, the nation’s largest home improvement chain, has limited sales of N95 respirators to 10 per person

Amazon is also policing its site to make sure sellers don’t gouge panicked buyers.  

In the U.S., Walgreens, Home Depot, Lowe’s and True Value Hardware are reporting a sharp uptick in sales of masks over the past several weeks and say they are scrambling to get more from suppliers. 

Home Depot, the nation’s largest home improvement chain, has limited sales of N95 respirators to 10 per person. They have a close facial fit and more filtration material than general surgical masks, enabling them to keep out at least 95 percent of particles.  

Marc Jaconksi, owner of Stanley’s True Value Hardware and Rental store in Philadelphia, said he saw a surge in demand for masks, particularly the N95, two weeks ago. 

Since Tuesday, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the virus will almost certainly spread in the U.S., sales went through the roof.

‘We would be crazy busy with snow, but we are not getting snow,´ he said. ‘We’re crazy busy with respirators.’

Jaconski said his store has sold 1,000 masks of all kinds in the past two weeks. 

He has ordered more N95s, but customers are so desperate they are picking up lightweight dust masks or buying heavy-duty respirators used for asbestos cleanup that sell for up to $60.

‘It’s usually the oldest folks who get a little crazed,’ he said. ‘This time, it is everybody.’

Several celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow (pictured), Kate Hudson, and Bella Hadid have pictured themselves mid-flight wearing masks

Paltrow wore a black mask that retails for about $34 while Hudson (pictured) wore a standard surgical face mask

Several celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow (left) and Kate Hudson (right) have pictured themselves mid-flight wearing masks. Paltrow wore a black mask that retails for about $34 while Hudson wore a standard surgical face mask

Stores are selling out of masks worldwide after coronavirus has infected more than 80,000 people globally and killed nearly 3,000. PIctured is a supermarket in Italy after selling out of masks

Stores are selling out of masks worldwide after coronavirus has infected more than 80,000 people globally and killed nearly 3,000. PIctured is a supermarket in Italy after selling out of masks

People wait in a line to buy face masks as quickly as employees can unload them in South Korea

People wait in a line to buy face masks as quickly as employees can unload them in South Korea

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MASKS: 

There are two common types of face masks: medical disposable face masks and the N95 respirator.

A standard face mask, which sells for about $1.50 each on Amazon, creates a barrier between the nose and mouth and any droplets or germs in the environment.

They are loose-fitting, disposable and not meant to be shared.

Face masks can prevent splashes and large-particle droplets but they do not ‘filter or block very small particles in the air that may be transmitted by coughs, sneezes or certain medical procedures,’ according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

These are not meant to be used more than once so if you are wearing this mask and it becomes soiled or damaged, throw it away and replace it with a new one. 

N95 respirators, considered the ‘gold standard’, are meant to fit much more closely to the face and they are designed to filter airborne particles.

The ‘N95’ number means that during tests, the respirator blocked at least 95 percent of very small (0.3 micron) test particles. 

Most of these respirators are manufactured for use in fields such as construction, where workers may be exposed to dust and small particles.

However, these thick masks are very uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time and may make it a bit more difficult to breath.

A two-pack typically sells for about $21.99 on Amazon.   

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t recommend that people wear masks to protect themselves from the virus. The CDC says people infected – or those showing symptoms such as fever and shortness of breath – should wear masks to avoid spreading it to others. 

Health care workers also need masks, the agency says.  

Mike Gania of the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists said some hospital pharmacies are saying that they have only a one- to two-week supply of masks and that the major wholesalers are unable to fill orders.

Within hospitals, surgical masks are worn by operating room teams – doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists – and frequently by pharmacists. Staff members caring for patients with dangerous infections wear the N95 masks.

Dr Sarah Boston, a veterinary surgical oncologist and author in Toronto, uses 10 to 15 surgical masks per week in her practice. She switched to a less comfortable brand when her usual supplier ran out.

‘I’ve spoken to a lot of people who are worried that we’re going to lose supply or not be able to get them,’ she said.

Boston sees a lot of people wearing them incorrectly – over their mouths but not their noses, for example – and said they should understand that other things would be more effective, like frequent hand-washing.

Companies that make masks are struggling to keep up.

Medicom Group, a Montreal medical supply company, usually makes 150 million masks per year at its factory near Angers, France. At the beginning of February, the factory had orders for 500 million masks. Orders have only grown since then, the company said, and it has hired new workers and increased capacity at its plants, including two in Shanghai and one in Augusta, Georgia.

MICHIGAN: Americans are preparing for the spread of coronavirus by stockpiling on medications and non-perishable items across the country

MICHIGAN: Americans are preparing for the spread of coronavirus by stockpiling on medications and non-perishable items across the country

VIRGINIA: People have been panic buying items from stores ever since health authorities warned that Americans should start preparing for domestic acceleration of the virus

VIRGINIA: People have been panic buying items from stores ever since health authorities warned that Americans should start preparing for domestic acceleration of the virus

3M, the Minnesota-based manufacturer, said it has ramped up production of respirators at its facilities in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Dealmed, a New York company that makes and sells medical supplies, said it expects to sell out of face masks next week. It temporarily stopped taking orders from new customers a month ago and ended sales on Amazon and Walmart.com. It now is selling only to buyers that need them most, such as hospitals, doctors’ offices or government agencies. 

On Amazon, the best-selling item in its health and household section Thursday was a pack of three cotton masks for $19.99. Ten-packs of 3M masks were sold out. And a listing for 100 disposable masks said it would arrive at shoppers’ doorsteps sometime in April or May.

Prices varied wildly on Amazon. Some sellers were charging $98.50 or more for 50 disposable surgical masks; others were charging $33 for a similar set. Hand sanitizers were also hard to find on the site, with some bottles of Purell and Amazon’s own brand sold out.

Dr. John Huber, a clinical psychologist and chairman of the Austin, Texas-based nonprofit Mainstream Mental Health, said retailers need to do a better job of allaying customers’ fears and sharing the CDC’s advice.

‘It’s the fear of the unknown,’ Huber said. ‘Once we understand something, we tend not to be so fearful.’

 

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