Face masks in short supply as coronavirus threat grows

Hanoi pharmacies are running out of masks as fears of the new coronavirus epidemic have caused demand to surge.

Hoa of Ung Hoa District on Thursday managed to buy two boxes of masks after queueing for over an hour. For each box of 5,000, she paid VND5 million ($216), double the price she paid two weeks ago.”I was willing to pay the price since it could climb even higher in the coming days and there might be no stocks left,” she said. She retails them at the Hapulico Medicine Market in Thanh Xuan District, where masks are among the top-selling items now.

The price of the N95 mask made by U.S. company 3M, which is said to have at least 95 percent filtration efficiency against certain non-oil based particles, has jumped almost five times from VND20,000 (86 cents) to VND90,000 ($3.88).

Pharmacies in the capital are struggling to source more masks.Mai, a drugstore owner in Ha Dong District, said on Tuesday she did not have masks in stock. “I ordered 200 boxes [of 50 masks] on Thursday, but the manufacturer sent only 40.”She said she had never had so much difficulty buying masks and hand sanitizers as now since manufacturers are unable to keep pace with demand. She sells only one box to a customer, explaining to them it is to make sure more people can protect themselves.