Ministers provide access to face mask stocks, relieving pressure on dental practices
Government ministers have provided access to central stocks of face masks, providing relief for anxious dentists.
Concerns over a shortage of face masks caused by the corona virus have been growing, but the government has acted to relieve pressure. Practices were dealing with a maximum order quantity, with risks of running out of disposable masks mounting as demand increased. Now, the government has provided access to a supply set aside for hospitals as part of preparations for Brexit.
Chair of the British Dental Association, Dr Mick Armstrong, said that the “clock was ticking” with many practices worried that they would run out of masks. Dr Armstrong applauded the decisive action taken by the government, which will now enable clinics to access central stocks.
Practices started to worry about a potential shortage as demand for masks among the public shot up due to the outbreak of the corona virus. Originating in the Wuhan region of China, the virus is now spreading across the world, with several countries reporting cases in the last week. Dentists in the UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, the US and New Zealand have all raised concerns about the possibility of a shortage of face masks.
China is the world’s leading supplier of disposable masks, and rising demand and a decrease in production have led to price hikes and shortages since January. The director general of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that demand for masks is over 100-times higher than usual and prices are 20-times higher.
Practices in the UK started receiving masks from the Department of Health’s central store yesterday (Thursday 27th February).
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