No one thought that masks would become a flashpoint for economic growth at the beginning of 2020.
The search for “medical mask” exceeded 20,000, and it has become a Vietnamese user The most watched products
According to foreign media reports, despite rising prices, medical masks are becoming a hot commodity on e-commerce platforms such as Google and Facebook.
On the morning of July 27, “medical mask” became one of the most searched keywords on Google by Vietnamese netizens, with more than 20,000 searches in the morning alone. As the impact of the new coronavirus epidemic intensifies, “medical masks” have become the most concerned product among Vietnamese users.
“Medical mask” was the most searched keyword on Google on July 27.
According to foreign media reports, products such as “masks” have begun to increase dramatically on e-commerce platforms such as Lazada and Shopee.
On July 27, the price of 4-layer medical masks on Shopee has increased from 3,800 VND/piece to 4,500 VND/piece. In early July, the price of this product was only VND 1,000 per piece. The price of a box of 50 general-purpose medical masks on Shopee has risen from VND85,000 to VND100,000.
On Lazada, the price of 4-layer medical masks has risen to 150,000 VND per box.
On Lazada, 4-layer sealed activated carbon medical masks are also listed, priced at VND80,000-100,000 per box (50 pieces per box). According to price fluctuation tracking data on sosanhgia, on July 25, the price per box was only 20,000-40,000 VND.
On Facebook, “medical masks” began to become popular again. The “HCMC 4-layer medical mask” topic group with more than 300,000 users posted 300 articles about selling masks every day. post.
On Facebook, many accounts have begun collecting masks and creating the illusion of a shortage.
Among them, many Facebook users collect masks for 50,000 to 70,000 VND in a box (50 pieces per box), and sell them on their personal pages for 80,000 to 70,000 VND. 100,000 VND/box for resale.
Trang Le, who lives in Phu Nhuan District, said: “Facebook is flooded with a large number of mask sellers. Not only that, I have seen a large number of mask advertisements from many fan pages, and each box of masks The price is more than 100,000 Vietnamese dong.”
An epidemic breaks out in Africa, and more than 122 million people are expected to be infected
As of 12:00 on July 29, Eastern Africa Time, data from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 54 countries in the African region have reported 871,970 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 18,475 deaths, and 523,684 people cured. Rehabilitation. Countries in Africa currently suffering from severe epidemics include South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Ghana.
In this regard, Michael Ryan, head of WHO’s emergency project, warned: The rising number of cases in South Africa may be a precursor to an outbreak across the African continent. Looking back at the early days of the global epidemic, the situation in Africa was not too bad. On February 14, the first confirmed case appeared in Africa. Sixteen days later, the number of confirmed cases reached 100. It took another 10 days for the number of confirmed cases to reach 1,000. The WHO explained that this may be related to the average age of Africa. Africa is the youngest continent demographically, with people under the age of 25 accounting for more than 60% of the total population.
Of course, it is also related to the active prevention and control of African countries at the beginning. In the early stages of the epidemic, African countries took decisive measures, closing borders, canceling flights, banning gatherings, closing schools, etc., to minimize the spread of the epidemic. But Africa has not escaped this disaster. As African WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in March, Africa must be prepared to face the worst-case scenario.
On April 17, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa reported that more than 122 million people will be infected, and up to 1.2 billion; even under the most optimistic scenario, Africa will be infected this year There will also be 300,000 deaths from the disease, which may reach 3.3 million in the worst case scenario, and may push 5 million to 29 million people into extreme poverty.
Currently, Africa has reported more than 810,000 confirmed cases. In fact, this data is likely to be seriously underestimated. As of July 12, in South Africa, the most developed country in Africa, only 36 people per 1,000 people had been tested; in Nigeria, this number was only 0.9. In the United States and the United Kingdom, 122 and 106 people per 1,000 people have been tested respectively.
Even some countries in Africa have stopped updating confirmed diagnosis data. For example, Tanzania stopped publishing COVID-19 infection data at the end of April; in early June, President Magufuli announced that there was no longer a COVID-19 virus. Behind this extreme behavior was his despair and helplessness over the epidemic. Once the epidemic spreads rapidly in Africa, the consequences will be disastrous. We all know that the most basic measures for epidemic prevention and control are to wash hands frequently, wear masks and maintain social distance. These three most common thingsLove, in the slums of Africa, becomes a luxury.
For example, washing hands frequently is not a matter of habit, but a matter of whether there is a water source. According to statistics, currently about 258 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have no running water to wash their hands, and even drinking water sources are seriously insufficient. For example, Senegal, which has a relatively good economy in West Africa, has maintained a high annual GDP growth rate of 6% for more than five consecutive years, but 52% of rural households still have neither soap nor water.
Africa’s medical resources are extremely scarce, with a shortage of medical staff and ventilators, and intensive care beds are even more scarce resources.
When the first death on the African continent occurred in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwean authorities admitted frankly that they did not have a ventilator to save the patient. Sub-Saharan Africa has the fewest doctors per capita. For example, in Zambia, there is statistically only one doctor per 10,000 people. According to the WHO, in most African countries there are only about 5 intensive care beds per million people, while in Europe this number is 4,000.
In addition to COVID-19, many people in Africa are also suffering from Ebola, HIV, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. On June 1, the Ministry of Health of the West African country of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced that a new round of Ebola outbreak had been confirmed in the country. To make matters worse, as the epidemic spread rapidly, some African countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, and Rwanda began to gradually lift the lockdown from April to May.
Responding to the COVID-19 epidemic is a common challenge facing all mankind, and public health security is a common issue that the world should strive to solve. No country can cope with the various challenges facing mankind alone, and no country can retreat to an island of self-isolation. As United Nations Secretary-General Guterres said, “Although the epidemic was not caused by Africa, Africa may bear the most serious consequences. Only by winning the fight against the epidemic in Africa can the global epidemic be completely ended.”
In short, whether it is the resurgence of the mask market in Vietnam or the outbreak of the epidemic in Africa, judging from the current mask market, the demand for masks The average daily output can guarantee the daily market supply demand. It is no longer like the surge in demand during the Spring Festival when the epidemic first broke out. The explosive rigid demand has passed. If there are still mask companies that still want to get a share of the pie, I am afraid they will only become the successor to the tragedy.
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