Durban - As the world deals with the coronavirus, businesses are taking advantage
of the accompanying panic with the
prices of masks skyrocketing by as
much as 500%.
Garrith Jamieson, spokesperson for Rescue Care paramedics, said: “The price increase is ridiculous and stock is being depleted.”
He said suppliers were also struggling to provide masks as stock runs out. Jamieson said they still had enough stock to go around for the time being, but the current high costs were affecting their profitability.
He said they did not have the option to increase prices because they had entered into pricing agreements with medical aids at the beginning of the year, which could only change next year.
Crisis Medical spokesperson Kyle van Reenen said the price of a box of 35 N95 masks, which normally cost R70 to R100 had shot up to between R1500 and R2000.
He said N95 masks were high-quality as they blocked about 95% of airborne particles.
Van Reenen said people were buying the wrong masks due to being miseducated.
The public could benefit from using two-ply face masks that were often used by surgeons.
Van Reenen said masks had now become like “gold”, but they had begun preparing for such a situation by stocking up since news of the outbreak last December.
People who had tuberculosis and needed masks would suffer from the high prices, he said.
ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said they had observed suppliers raising their costs due to the high demand.
“With the current scare, we have seen the community being a little more cautious regarding cleanliness, handwashing, etc. Our staff take the highest precautions regarding the cleanliness of our vehicles and equipment.”
A Health Department official, who did not want to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media, said the problem had been highlighted by the World Health Organisation and China.
“It is a supply and demand issue,” he said.
The official said the matter had already been discussed at a Southern African Development Community meeting held in Tanzania.
There was international collaboration on tackling the issue and countries like South Korea had embarked on a “rationing” of masks.
Business Insider reported yesterday that some private laboratories were now able to test for coronavirus.
Previously only the National Institute for Communicable Diseases had been doing the testing.
A test would cost R1400 and would only be done if a person was referred by their doctor for showing symptoms of Covid-19.
Discovery Medical Aid said it would pay from a special coronavirus benefit if a person tested positive.
If the test was negative, it would be paid out of day-to-day benefits.