2M face masks to be available to public, health workers: DTI

FILE: Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez  YANCY LIM/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez on Tuesday said there will be two million surgical masks available for both health care workers and the public in a month’s time to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

During a Senate hearing on the country’s preparedness on the 2019-nCoV threat, Lopez said the main supplier in Bataan has committed to producing 400,000 pieces of face masks per week, which would be added to the existing local supply.

“They committed to supplying first 100,000 (face masks) to be delivered today, which we would prioritize to give to the DOH. Priority yung mga nasa frontline natin, ang health workers (Our priority are those on the frontline, our health workers),” Lopez said.

“Importante (It is important that) we have stocks in the Philippines. We will make it available to the DOH, half to the public. In a month, we can commit about one million pieces to the public, and one million pieces for the DOH requirement. And that can go on as long as we need the stocks,” Lopez added.

Lopez noted that the current problem is less on the price but on the supply of surgical masks.

Face masks are reportedly selling out amid growing concerns about the emerging public health threat.

“Marami po talaga ang nag-out (There are really many of those going out) of stock simply because of the surge in the demand. Some can be considered panic buying the normal inventory of our drugstores are not that high,” Lopez said.

A 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan, China who died on Saturday was the Philippines’ second confirmed case of the deadly coronavirus. He was the partner of the 38-year-old Chinese woman who became the first confirmed nCoV case in the Philippines.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the nCoV-infected Chinese man was also admitted to San Lazaro Hospital in Sta. Cruz, Manila on January 25 due to pneumonia, fever, cough and a sore throat.

The male patient died on Saturday, the first reported death due to the deadly virus outside of China.

A new strain of coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has killed over 300 people and infected more than 14,000 others in mainland China alone.

The 2019-nCoV has quickly spread to more than a dozen countries, including the Philippines, prompting the World Health Organization to declare the new virus outbreak as a global health emergency.

To curb the spread of 2019-nCoV in the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte has already imposed a temporary ban on travelers coming from mainland China, as well as its special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macao.