Rush to buy masks to prevent Wuhan pneumonia

Reporter's notes,At some supermarket systems and convenience stores open during Tet in Hanoi... the number of people looking to buy medical masks, antibacterial masks to prevent viruses... has increased dramatically.

Open during Tet, a supermarket chain in Hanoi attracts a large number of visitors to visit and shop. The mask counter is placed right at the entrance, attracting the attention of shoppers. This is also one of the shelves that people visit the most at this supermarket, next to the fresh food and vegetable counters on the first day of the new year.

While choosing to buy a mask, Ms. Hong Anh (Hanoi) said that in recent days, she has been quite worried after hearing that the pneumonia epidemic is spreading rapidly, and that Vietnam has also recorded its first case. Because of the Tet holiday, drug stores are closed, so she went to retail systems to buy masks for the whole family. "There are many types of masks to choose from at many price ranges. At this time, spending a few hundred thousand VND to buy a good mask is not too expensive, because there is still no vaccine for the pneumonia epidemic, so prevention is better than cure," she said.

Similarly, Mr. Quang (Van Khe, Ha Dong) is also looking to buy masks for his whole family due to concerns that the epidemic will last and spread. "In a few days, the children will return to school after Tet holiday, so I am looking to buy medical masks for my children and adults to wear to school and work," he said.

A male customer chooses to buy a mask at a supermarket. Photo: Minh Anh

While the prices of antibacterial masks at supermarkets remain stable, ranging from 17,000 to 70,000 VND, depending on the type, on online sales sites, masks to prevent viruses and respiratory bacteria are also quickly attracting a large number of customers. Prices therefore also "jump" according to each advertisement of the seller.

Just a few minutes after posting the sale on a group, Ms. Huyen received dozens of orders for Unicharm 3D masks (Japan). According to this seller, this type of mask can prevent most harmful viruses caused by environmental pollution, even fine dust... The price of each box is 240,000 VND, 100 pieces. Another type of mask is being sold for 22,000 VND each, and can be reused 5 times. Meanwhile, for the same two types of masks, posted for sale about 1 hour ago, Ms. Ngoc offered the prices of 270,000 VND and 90,000 VND respectively.

In Da Nang, 12 cases of suspected pneumonia virus have been recorded, making Ms. Tinh even more worried. "Living in the heart of the Central epidemic, I have no choice but to force everyone in the house to wear masks when leaving the house," Ms. Tinh shared, adding that she had just ordered 5 boxes of Smart masks imported from Singapore for 4 family members, each box costing 300,000 VND.

However, according to doctors, just wearing a 3-layer medical mask can prevent the corona virus, so people do not necessarily have to buy masks that are advertised as too expensive. The corona virus weakens when the temperature is above 20 degrees Celsius, especially above 25 degrees Celsius and in high humidity conditions. Therefore, in addition to wearing medical masks when going to public places and crowded places, doctors recommend that people should keep their houses well-ventilated and the room temperature above 25 degrees Celsius to prevent the disease from attacking.

The acute pneumonia outbreak started in Wuhan on December 31, 2019, with 41 people hospitalized, then quickly spread to many other cities and appeared in many other countries. By January 25, more than 2,000 Chinese people were infected, of which 56 died. The corona virus quickly "crossed the border" out of China, spreading to many countries around the world. Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Australia, France, Canada, the US... recorded the first cases of the disease.

In Vietnam, a father and son from Wuhan, China tested positive for the coronavirus and are being treated at Cho Ray Hospital (HCMC) and are identified as the first cases of the disease. In addition, more than a dozen suspected cases are being quarantined and monitored at hospitals in Da Nang, Nha Trang...