Coronavirus: Demand for N95 masks, hand sanitizers goes through the roof in India

According to reports, south Indian state of Kerala, from where country's all three Convid-19 cases so far were reported, is facing the the highest surge in demand for the protector masks and hand sanitizers.

All Food and Drug License Holders Foundation (AFDLHF), a pan-India association of around 7,000 pharmaceutical suppliers, reported that the total market for face protector masks alone has doubled than the last year and panic over the worldwide deadly Convid-19 outbreak is mainly responsible for the nearly 100 per cent jump of N95 masks' sale.

"Since the deadly Novel Coronavirus outbreak was reported from China and other parts of the world, demand and sale of the face protector masks and hand sanitizers have raised rapidly across India," a senior member of AFDLHF told IBNS.

"This situation happened last in the country during swine flu outbreak years ago, but that was not so high like this time," the member said.

The foundation stated if the demand for masks keeps raising, Indian manufacturers may have to increase their production capacity to maintain the demand-production balance.

"Now the demand for face masks is about 1,000,000-1,200,000 units per month in the country which was 600,000-700,000 earlier and this data shows how the demand is raising rapidly," the AFDLHF member said.

"We can assure that there is nothing to worry about the supply at this moment as country's face protector mask manufacturers have a strength to produce 300,000-400,000 masks a month with 2,500,000-3,000,000 units in stocks now," he added.

Though, online medicine suppliers and medical store owners of the metro cities fear a run-out of N95 masks soon as the demand keeps growing.

"The demand and supply ratio is still balanced, but, don't know what will happen if the demand of face masks keeps increasing day by day," a medicine-cum-surgical goods supplier told IBNS.

Besides other parts of India, the medical and surgical markets in Kolkata are currently facing a challenge to meet people's demand for N95 masks and hand sanitizers.

Describing the situation, a surgical store dealer in Kolkata's Bagree Market said, "Since the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, the demand for face masks has started raising in the city and its adjacent areas."

"The demand is now at its peak after it was reported that all three Coronavirus victims in India touched Kolkata airport while travelling from China to Kerala," the trader told IBNS.

Meanwhile, buyers are alleging that medical and surgical stores have doubled the prices of N95 masks in the situation.

Soumen Adak, a man from Kolkata's neighbouring Hooghly district of West Bengal who came to Kolkata to buy face protector mask, said: "After knowing that precaution is the best medicine to prevent Novel Coronavirus, I travelled 30 km. from my home to Kolkata to buy N95 masks and a good hand sanitizer for me and my other family members."

"It seems like the stock of face masks is not sufficient in the market and they are selling these face masks at a high price," he said.

Medicine suppliers, however, denied that they were charging extra for the protector masks.

"Due to the surge, the price of N95 masks is slightly up nowadays, but we're not charging extra money for the protector masks from our customers whose," a medicine and surgical goods store owner said.

(Images: Avishek Mitra/IBNS)