Medical Network March 26 News Overseas countries are experiencing a shortage of masks: Thailand has completely stopped retail sales, Japanese doctors can only receive one a week, and the world's richest man can't buy masks...

The epidemic situation in many countries is becoming more and more serious, and there is an urgent shortage of masks

According to statistics released by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of 5:10 on the 24th, Beijing time, there were more than 370,000 confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia worldwide, and more than 16,000 deaths. The spread of the new coronavirus is accelerating.

As of 5:10 on the 24th, Beijing time, the number of confirmed cases in the United States reached 43,214, ranking third among all countries, and the cumulative number of deaths reached 533.

As of the 23rd, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Italy, the "hardest hit area" of the epidemic, reached 63,927; the number of confirmed cases in Spain was as high as 33,089; the number of confirmed cases in France rose to 19,856...

According to China News Network on March 24, the mayor of Bergamo, Lombardy, the most severely affected city in Italy, Giorgio Gori said that about 75% of patients in Bergamo had died at home before they were diagnosed.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the US Olympic Committee and Paralympic Committee issued a statement on the 23rd saying that in view of the current expansion of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics is the most feasible plan.

As the global epidemic becomes more and more serious, there is an urgent shortage of anti-epidemic materials such as masks and protective clothing.

On February 1, India banned the export of medical masks;

On February 26, South Korea issued a mask export ban, completely prohibiting sellers from exporting masks;

On March 3, the French government ordered the requisition of all newly produced masks and stocks, and banned mask manufacturers from exporting;

On March 4, Thailand officially banned its mask manufacturers from exporting masks;

Also on March 4, Germany issued a ban on the export of masks;

On March 6, France cancelled a large order for masks, which was the millions of masks that the British National Medical System had earlier ordered from Valmy SAS in France;

On March 8, Germany cut off 240,000 masks from Switzerland;

On March 19, Germany confiscated a batch of protective equipment from the 3M Group in the United States;

On March 20, France intercepted 130,000 masks in the UK;

……

Thailand: Completely suspends the sale of medical hygiene masks

Sucai Sucai, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, revealed on the 23rd that the sale of sanitary masks in blue flag stores and general retail channels has been stopped, and the public is advised to use other alternative masks. Medical sanitary masks should be allocated to medical staff according to the severity of the situation. At present, various government offices of the Ministry of Commerce have been ordered to closely follow up and investigate the situation of sanitary masks, cancel the distribution of masks to blue flag stores and convenience stores (7-11), retail malls and other channels, including supermarkets and shopping malls, the current last delivery time for March 16.

The world's richest man can't buy a mask

According to a report in the Chinese version of Business Week on March 24, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the world's richest man, disclosed in an internal company email on March 21, 2020 that masks are the most scarce material in the company. He said Amazon had previously ordered millions of masks to distribute to employees and contract workers who couldn't work from home, but few had arrived.

Japan: Doctors can only receive one mask a week

According to a report by Japan's "Kyoto Shimbun" on the 23rd, at the hospital affiliated to the Faculty of Medicine of Kyoto University, medical staff have used one mask per person per day from the original, and now the number of masks used by medical staff per week is only one. Some doctors said that masks can only be replaced if they are visibly contaminated with the naked eye. At other times, masks are absolutely not allowed to be replaced, and no relevant department will be willing to replace them for you.

France: Luxury goods companies announced to switch production of masks

Recently, with the intensification of the new crown pneumonia epidemic in France, the French Kering Group confirmed that it will import 3 million surgical masks from China to donate to the government. At the same time, its Balenciaga and Saint Laurent factories will soon start producing masks to support the government’s response to the new crown epidemic. .

Before that, it took only three days for the Louis Moet Henden Group, the largest luxury group in France and the world's largest luxury goods group, to convert its Dior, Guerlain and Givenchy perfume factories, and promised to provide at least 12 tons of free rinse-free water for French medical institutions. . At present, the hand sanitizer produced by the perfume factory has been delivered to major hospitals and is called "the most beautiful anti-epidemic product". Later, the group announced that it would place an order in China to raise 40 million masks for the government.

Spain: masks up to 2,200 yuan/piece

According to local media reports, not only is there a shortage of masks in Spain, but the price has also increased exponentially, with the highest even selling for about 2,200 yuan per piece. In this regard, Inditex SA, the parent company of Spanish fashion giant Zara, urgently adjusted its production line to produce masks, and planned to convert some fabric production lines into professional medical fabric production lines.

Overseas mask orders surge

In order to help countries fight against the epidemic, in the early morning of March 21, the "Protective Equipment Anti-epidemic Materials Zone", which was urgently developed by Alibaba International Station, was officially launched.

(Picture: The entrance of the special area for epidemic prevention materials on the PC side (left) and APP side (right) of Alibaba International Station)

This zone is not only for overseas B-side buyers to purchase materials, but also can provide Chinese buyers with guaranteed supplier sources. In the future, the zone will also launch protective clothing, thermometers, disinfectants, hand sanitizers, prefab rooms, production equipment and raw materials.

According to the data of the international station platform, in the past month, the number of inquiries for masks by global buyers has increased by nearly 20 times. As of March 23, Alibaba International Station industry experts have counted hundreds of merchants, and selected mask merchants who are willing to provide deterministic supply capabilities for international station buyers. At present, there are 29 types of masks on the platform, 15 of which are for medical use, with a daily supply capacity of one million masks.

Chinese masks, hoods, take care of the world

China is the world's largest producer and exporter of masks, with annual production accounting for about 50% of the world's total before the COVID-19 outbreak. With the development of the epidemic, the domestic mask industry is in full swing.

Since February, the government has successively issued a number of policies to encourage enterprises related to masks and protective clothing to speed up the resumption of work and production, and to ensure the supply of epidemic prevention items for front-line medical staff and subsequent returnees. At the same time, open green channels, simplify production qualification approval procedures, merge product registration and production license inspection processes, and implement "online handling" of registration and licensing matters.

Relevant data shows that the number of enterprises related to epidemic prevention has increased significantly recently:

1. There are 347 meltblown cloth related enterprises in my country, and 112 new ones have been added since February 2020. Compared with the same period last year, the growth rate is as high as 3633%;

2. At present, there are a total of 994 forehead gun related companies in my country, and 202 have been added since February 2020. Compared with the same period last year, the growth rate is as high as 4950%;

3. At present, there are 141,794 companies related to disinfection products in my country, and 3,693 new companies have been added since February 2020. Compared with the same period last year, the growth rate is as high as 85.3%;

4. At present, there are a total of 5,427 protective clothing-related enterprises in my country, and 1,151 have been added since February 2020. Compared with the same period last year, the growth rate is as high as 2,157%.

It is estimated that by the end of March, the daily production capacity of masks in my country is expected to exceed 200 million, and masks will gradually achieve a balance between supply and demand. At the same time, the production capacity of meltblown cloth, the core raw material of masks, is also continuously improving.

As the epidemic situation in my country is gradually brought under control, good news has come one after another recently.

According to CCTV news, according to Hubei Airport Group, Hubei Xiangyang Airport, Enshi Airport, and Shennongjia Airport officially resumed flights on March 25.

On March 24, Hubei Province issued a notice from the Headquarters for the Prevention and Control of Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia:

(1) From 0:00 on the 25th, the control of the exit channel outside Wuhan will be lifted, and external traffic will be resumed in an orderly manner. The people leaving Hubei will flow safely and orderly with the Hubei health code "green code".

(2) On April 8, Wuhan lifted the control measures for the passage from Han to Hubei, and resumed external traffic in an orderly manner. People from Han traveled safely and orderly with the Hubei health code "green code".

On March 24, the Hangzhou New Coronary Pneumonia Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters issued the latest notice that the distribution of free masks in Hangzhou will officially stop on March 25, and the last mask appointment and distribution will be held on March 24.

At present, when searching for masks on major e-commerce APPs, the gray-white out-of-stock logo no longer appears, and some can even be shipped on the same day. Offline pharmacies are no longer "hard to find". Although they will still be more expensive than before the epidemic, the price is much lower than in February. The important thing is that they are not out of stock.

It is believed that the powerful production capacity of Chinese masks can not only satisfy the needs of Chinese people, but also replenish the world in time. Let's work together to defeat the epidemic.