Over the weekend, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams urged the public to stop purchasing face masks amid the growingcoronavirus outbreak,warning that the masks won’t protect from potential contamination and that the decrease in supply is putting healthcare providers at risk.
“Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!” he shared on Twitter Saturday.
He later added, “The best way to protect yourself and your community is with everyday preventive actions, like staying home when you are sick and washing hands with soap and water, to help slow the spread of respiratory illness. Get your #FluShot– fewer flu patients = more resources for #COVID19.”
“There is no role for these masks in the community,” Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said last week, perThe New York Times.“These masks need to be prioritized for health care professionals that as part of their job are taking care of individuals.”
“There are severe strains on protective equipment around the world,” Dr. Michael J. Ryan, executive director of the health emergency program at the World Health Organization, told reporters on Friday, according toThe Times.
“Our primary concern is to ensure that our front line health workers are protected and that they have the equipment they need to do their jobs,” he added.
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Prestige Ameritech, the largest surgical mask manufacturer in the U.S., has completely sold out of their products, and issueda statement on their websiteclaiming that “due to high demand from our hospital customers, we are no longer able to add more products to this store.”
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“We cant get them anymore; they are out of stock at the warehouse,” Aimee Hart a local drugstore owner in Cincinnati, Ohio, told local ABC News affiliate WCPO.
The shortage has additionally caused price gouging,CBS reported.
Mike Bowen, the executive vice president of Prestige Ameritech, toldThe Timesthat anyone can typically buy two for “the price of a gumball. However, some Amazon merchants are taking advantage of the shortage and selling masks for significantly higher prices.
Amazon said they have since removed tens of thousands of deals from sellers who they found were not adhering to their “fair pricing” guidelines.
“We have absolutely enforced the policy,” an Amazon spokesperson told CBS. “We identify them and quickly take action.”
Amazon did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
As of Monday, there are a total of 88 confirmed cases in the U.S., with two deaths, both older adults with underlying health problems.
source: people.com
