Coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to panic buying among public due to rising cases of infection and face masks have disappeared from pharmacy shelves. Healthy people need not wear masks and WHO suggests that face masks should only be used by people who have been confirmed that they suffer from COVID-19 (coronavirus). Face mask will only reduce the spreading of coronavirus to other people around those suffering from coronavirus infection.

The number of cases of COVID-19 has been rising worldwide and many governments have announced drastic measures to reduce the impact of infection. The use of face masks also is crucial for health workers and those who are taking care of someone infected with COVID-19 in close settings.

Face mask shortage has been reported in many countries and recently, Alibaba founder Jack Ma said that his company will ship face masks to the United States. It has been predicted by health agencies that mask shortage would continue for upcoming weeks.

Michael Einhorn, the founder of New York-based Dealmed-Park Surgical said that his company will run out of face masks if his Chinese supplier doesn't start production soon. Einhorn said, “We’re having to make tough decisions every day on who gets masks and who doesn’t. Do masks go to the suburban hospital or the 911 responders? It’s a huge responsibility, and we know we’re going to make some mistakes.”

“Most places are not prepared, so you now have a cascade of countries putting these export bans in place,” said Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Few days ago, there were reports about some sellers on Amazon charging high price for face masks. However, Amazon took quick action and banned those products from being sold at much higher price than usual for face masks.

People who have symptoms and might be infected with COVID-19 are required to stay in isolation at home and should wear a surgical face mask when in the same room as another person and when seeking medical advice to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19 to anyone else. Health care workers who are caring for patients with suspected COVID-19 should use appropriate personal protective equipment to protect themselves against COVID-19. Any coughing patient should be offered a mask. There are special tight-fitting masks that healthcare workers are trained to use to protect them from infection.