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Fears about the coronavirus has sparked a surge in sales of protective face masks across the UAE.
Zawya contacted a few pharmacies in the city and they said they have run out of stocks, while others reported that their supplies have been flying off the shelves since Wednesday, when the UAE reported the first case of the virus.
“We sold about a thousand boxes of face masks today and now we have a few stocks left. It’s the first time this has happened,” said one pharmacist in Downtown Dubai. Another pharmacist said all their outlets in Dubai Marina are also out of face masks.
Amid soaring demand, the Dubai Economic Department (DED) issued a directive on Thursday, asking businesses not to increase the prices of face masks. Consumers were also urged to file complaints against shops who unfairly increase or manipulate prices.
“[The] DED instructs pharmacies and medical supply businesses not to increase masks prices,” the economic department said on Twitter.
“DED asks consumers to file complaints if they find mas prices increases,” it added.
The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention confirmed on Wednesday that four members of a family that had travelled to the UAE from Wuhan, China are positive for coronavirus. The authority, however, assured that patients are in “stable condition,” adding that their case should not be a cause for concern.
The number of coronavirus cases reached nearly 6,000 as of Tuesday, according to China’s National Health Commission. The new epidemic that started in December 31 has impacted the markets, with Asian equities tumbling and oil prices falling on concerns over its potential effect on the global economy.
“Aside from the human cost, the outbreak will likely weigh on Chinese real GDP growth this year, which was already expected to come in under 6 percent for the first time in decades. This will also weigh on the global growth outlook,” wrote Daniel Marc Richards, Emirates NBD economist for Middle East and North Africa, in his latest analysis.
Face masks
According to Jobilal Vavachan, CEO of Aster Pharmacy, their shops have seen “unprecedented demand” for face masks, especially the N95, since the coronavirus has been dominating the headlines.
“Our supply team have been diligently attempting to source and procure new stock without suppliers who are supporting as quickly as they can with production and shipment of significant quantities,” Vavachan said.
He added that their teams have been issued a procedure for caring for patients while also ensuring compliance with guidelines, to prevent the spread of the virus.
Health experts, however, said that wearing face masks may not be the most effective way for people to protect themselves against the virus. “Right now, there’s no evidence that [wearing face masks] is going to help prevent that infection,” Chiu a professor of laboratory medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, told CNN.
(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria)
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