“Panic buying” triggers shortages in China after the end of covid restrictions

China It is facing supply problems after giving a breather to its stricter anti-Covid policies this week.

People are stocking up on ibuprofen, cold medicine, and blood tests. covid after cases of shortages were reported.

LOOK: The coronavirus “spreads rapidly” in China after the relaxation of the measures

Several products used in home remedies are in short supply online, including vitamin C-rich lemons and peaches in syrup, as well as electrolyte water.

Hoarding has been a common global problem but this may be the first instance of it occurring after the lockdowns ended.

In China, as in other parts of the world, it has been common to see people sharing photos on social networks. empty shelves in supermarkets of big cities before stay-at-home orders were imposed.

But now that the country is relaxing its case-tracking rules, and allowing people to self-isolate and self-test, people seem to be panic-buying medicines, trying to get ahead of a winter surge.

Local governments have been asked to upgrade their intensive care units and open fever clinics by the end of the month “in preparation for waves of infections.”

And there are already signs that the healthcare system is rapidly reaching its limits.

Videos circulated this week showing patients hooked up to saline solutions in their cars as “clinics are full.”

Patients in China were getting treated while hooked up to IV drips in their cars because local clinics in several provinces are fully-booked. pic.twitter.com/xVVp2aKrge

— South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) December 14, 2022

china daily has reported an “explosive growth in demand” for pain medications, vitamins, and cold and flu drugs.

Some outlets have shown photos of empty shelves in pharmacies, and others have been running stories throughout the week about how production lines at different pharmaceutical companies are at “full capacity” in order to keep up with demand.

The newspaper china daily He argued that panic buying had been so widespread that the government in the city of Guangzhou had called for “sensible buying.”

“There is no need to hoard in large quantities,” it said in a statement. Guangzhou is the city that has seen the highest numbers of virus cases in recent weeks.

Last week the newspaper Global Times He also stressed that sales of covid detection kits had increased by more than 300%, following the new anti-covid guidelines in China. He said the kits had run out quickly on major platforms like JD Health.

online rumors

The website the paper said that “consumer demand for vitamin C has skyrocketed.”

Lemon flavored products are running out of online stores in China. (NO WEIBO).

She adds that lemons have run out on sales platforms, as have “lemon-flavored teas, lemon-flavored candies and lemon-flavored sparkling water.”

china daily sees a similar trend with canned peaches. He says that because the products are “rich in vitamin C” and have “a longer shelf life,” they have become highly desirable, both online and in physical stores.

“On some online platforms, the demand for canned yellow peaches is rising so high that they are often marked as ‘out of stock,'” the newspaper says.

SinaNews, For his part, he says rumors have spread online that they can “relieve symptoms” of covid-19.

Peaches in syrup are also out of stock. (FUTURE PUBLISHING).

However, doctors have disputed this. Some of them have appeared on the main television network CCTV, warning people not to “consume too much vitamin C”. Some have even gone so far as to say that excessively consuming peaches could “aggravate a cough.”

Other types of therapies have also been exhausted on the internet.

Pear Video posted a video showing a wave of people buying electrolyte water, after it was billed as “useful for hydration after sweating or a fever.”

The Global Times He also adds that rumors have circulated on the internet saying that “drinking high amounts of alcohol” can “prevent” or “kill the virus”, and he stressed the dangers that this implies.

The newspapers are saturated with warnings from doctors so that lpeople do not buy medicines “blindly”, mixing them or consuming more than necessary.

State media have highlighted the increase in production at pharmaceutical companies. (GETTY IMAGES).

The Chinese Food and Beverage Administration has called on pharmaceutical companies to “ensure the quality, safety and supply” of covid therapies. He also promised to strengthen the supervision of the production and circulation of such products.

Regulatory authorities are warning consumers not to buy covid therapies online unless internet users have medical qualifications. people are being advised to buy products through reputable channels, so they don’t buy “bootleg drugs”

The media also claim that “health kits” are being prepared to ensure that particularly vulnerable patients are not left even more vulnerable.

China Daily reported that elderly residents and those with chronic illnesses receive packages with medicines, antigen tests and throat syrups in the city of Wuhan, the original epicenter of Covid-19.

Source: Elcomercio