ILOILO City – Despite calls from the Department of Health (DOH) in Region 6 for the public to remain calm, demand for disposable facemasks has risen in recent days, according to pharmacies here, as people become increasingly concerned of the possibility that the novel coronavirus in China could spread in the country.
According to pharmacists, there was a dramatic spike in demand after DOH-6 reported on Jan. 29 that it was “monitoring one patient under investigation (PUI) from China who arrived in Iloilo on Jan. 27 complaining of fever but without any history of travel to Hubei Province, China and without any history of exposure.”
A staff of a pharmacy in Barangay Ungka, Jaro district said they ran out of facemasks by evening of Wednesday. They were able to sell over 20 boxes.
“In the past, customers only bought a few pieces of facemasks. Now they’re buying by boxes,” said Shella Dela Cruz of Walk-in pharmacy.
She found it unusual, too, that customers were making “facemask reservations” should the pharmacy’s new stocks arrive.
A facemask costs P5 apiece, said Dela Cruz.
Should new stocks arrive, the pharmacy may limit the number of facemasks that customers could buy, she added.
“I appeal to the public to remain calm,” said Dr. Marlyn Convocar, DOH-6 director, in a statement.
The regional health system and its health facilities, she said, is ready and equipped to address any potential threat of the corona virus 2019-nCoV, and that mechanisms are in place to contain it, if needed.
Regarding the patient – a three-year-old child – that DOH-6 is monitoring, Convocar said the subject “remains confined but is already afebrile and without cough or colds.”
“Oropharyngeal and serum samples of the patient were already sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine for screening,” according to Convocar.
But even before the Jan. 29 disclosure of DOH-6 about this patient, a staff of a pharmacy across West Visayas State University Medical Center in Jaro said demand for facemasks was already high and they ran out of stocks on Jan. 28.
While the demand was consistently high due to their proximity to the hospital, the pharmacy staff said she noted brisker sales these past few days perhaps due to the coronavirus scare.
“Mabakal na nga daan kami pero mas nagbakal pa gid subong,” said the Grace Pharmacy staff.
No, they are not taking advantage of the surge in demand, she stressed, so they are not increasing their P3 price per facemask.
New stocks are expected to arrive today, she added.
DOH-6 reiterated that there is still no known confirmed 2019-nCoV case in the region but it reminded the public to “be vigilant at all times.”
“I encourage you to seek information about this evolving health event and be informed. However, refrain from spreading unverified, inaccurate and false statements or information. I encourage you to only source your information from the official website and social media channels of DOH,” said Convocar.
Meanwhile, an attendant of Rose Pharmacy on Ledesma Street, City Proper said all their branches in the city have run out of facemasks last week yet.
“We have many customers inquiring if we have available stocks but we don’t have any right now,” said Apple Elechico.
But not all pharmacies are running out of facemasks. Josmef Pharmacy right across West Visayas State University Medical Center in Jaro has ample supply. It is, however, putting a cap on the number of facemasks that a customer can buy – only two boxes at the most, at P230 per box.
In China where the virus originated, the death toll rose to 170 yesterday, and a confirmed case in Tibet means it has reached every region in mainland China.
Chinese health authorities said there were 7,711 confirmed cases in the country as of Jan. 29.
Infections have also spread to at least 15 other countries.
DOH-6 continues to encourage the public to regularly practice proper hand hygiene and cough manners, maintain distance from people manifesting with flu-like symptoms, cook food properly and adopt a healthy lifestyle.
“After all, practicing preventive measures is still the best way to protect oneself from any infection or disease,” said Director Convocar.
DOH-6 recommends all travelers with symptoms of fever and cough, and with history of travel to Hubei Province, China, to proceed immediately to the nearest health facility for prompt medical attention and management.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced yesterday it would meet to again consider whether the virus constitutes a global health emergency.
“In the last few days the progress of the virus, especially in some countries, especially human-to-human transmission, worries us,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said,
He named Germany, Vietnam and Japan, where there have been cases of people catching the virus from others who have been to China.
“Although the numbers outside China are still relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak,” the WHO chief said.
More people have now been infected in China than during the SARS outbreak in the early 2000s, but the death toll remains far lower. SARS, also a coronavirus, caused acute respiratory illness./PN
