Employees in Hanoi wear medical masks at the office.

Medical masks in Ho Chi Minh City have been selling like hotcakes as some medical suppliers run out of stock.

When the global pandemic first came in April and was detected in Vietnam at the end of May, medical masks were recommended only at international airports where foreigners came from the early worst-hit countries.

But as the spread of the virus has reached community-level with more schools and office buildings infected, people have started to protect themselves mostly with paper masks.

A resident in District 7 whose son is attending primary school in District 1 said the teacher requires students to wear a mask in class.

Several companies and offices in the city have bought medical masks for their employees, especially for those who receive outside guests every day.

At some places, the masks are selling for more than VND200,000 (US$11) a box of 50, almost seven times the normal price.

Those lucky enough can find a box at VND80,000-85,000, still nearly three times more expensive than normal.

Owner of a medical supplies store in District 10 said medical masks, most of which are imported, had been selling out for a week.

He added that medical masks were also in high demand overseas, so they were getting hard to import and that domestic firms only produce the masks to fill hospital orders.

Sales were so good that some wholesalers have even contacted their retail distributors to take masks back, said another seller in District 10. Sterilizing products were also rising in demand.

Some companies have even distributed professional N95 masks, designed for doctors working directly with infected patients, to their employees.

Many seek tests

Tran Tinh Hien, deputy director of HCMC’s Tropical Diseases Hospital, said the number of people visiting the hospital had increased but many of them had been told it was unnecessary.

“Not all of them need a test,” he said.

The tests take around six hours and costs VND1.5-2 million ($87.64-116.85) and needs to be repeated for confirmation.

“We have tried to explain the facts but many people just refuse to understand,” Hien said. “Some were unhappy and even wanted to sue the hospital.”

He added the tests and possible treatment afterward would be free if people were ordered by doctors to take them.

People in need can seek H1N1 tests at Hanoi Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, National Institute of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Pasteur institutes of HCMC, Nha Trang and the Central Highlands, HCMC Tropical Diseases Hospital, HCMC Children Hospitals No.1 and No.2.

The virus has caused a panic in some people. One mother in Go Vap District was so convinced her child had influenza A (H1N1), after the child caught fever, coughed and sneezed, that she sought a test at four hospitals in the city but they all told her the child did not have the symptoms.

Unlike seasonal flu, influenza A (H1N1) sometimes doesn’t cause high fever but diarrhea and vomiting are more commonly seen and the patients may suffer extreme fatigue.

More serious symptoms include rapid or troubled breathing, bluish or gray skin color, severe or persistent vomiting, not waking up or not interacting, and being irritable.

The hotlines of HCMC Health Department, the city Tropical Diseases Hospital and Thanh Nien have been busy recently as people call to express concern and seeking testing.

No death so far

Doctor Phan Van Nghiem of HCMC Health Department on Saturday confirmed with Tuoi Tre newspaper that there had been no deaths due to H1N1 virus so far, adding that all patients to date had recovered after several days of treatment.

He said a message sent via blog and Yahoo messenger that a student of HCMC Polytechnique University had been killed by influenza A was a lie.

Nghiem said his department would immediately report any death from the virus. He advised the public to disregard the rumor.

Also on Saturday, HCMC Health Education and Communication Center said anyone who needs advices concerning influenza A (H1N1) can call its number 1089 on any day of the week, from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Source: Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre