(CNN Philippines, February 8) — The World Health Organization (WHO) prohibited the stockpiling of any personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak.
“There is limited stock of PPE and we need to make sure we get it to the people who need it most in the places that need it most,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press briefing Friday at Geneva, Switzerland.
Ghebreyesus said that the demand for PPE is 100 times higher than normal, while prices are up to 20 times higher.
With the shortage of PPE, the WHO chief said that health workers and patients must be prioritized.
“The first priority are health workers. The second priority are those who are sick or caring for someone who is sick,” he said. “We discourage stockpiling of PPE in countries and areas where transmission is low.”
For his part, WHO World Health Emergencies Executive Director Dr. Michael Ryan said that it’s alright for some to wear a PPE, like face masks, if it provides them safety.
“If that allows people to move and go to the shop and get their food and that provides comfort then we won’t say anything about that,” he said.
However, Ryan pointed out that it would be a problem if the stock of PPE will not be enough for those in the medical field.
“But if we start to see the normal civilian market flooded with N95 and other respirator type masks, and we see doctors and nurses not having those then there’s a problem,” he said.
Ghebreyesus said that he already talked to the Pandemic Supply Chain Network to make sure that those who need PPE the most will be provided with.
“This afternoon I talked to the Pandemic Supply Chain Network which includes manufacturers, distributors and logistics providers to make sure that PPE supplies get to those that need them,” said the WHO director-general.
