The recent shortage of masks due to the Wuhan pneumonia outbreak in China has caused widespread concern. It is worth noting that China is the world's largest mask manufacturer and exporter, with an annual output of about 50% of the world. Why is there still not enough reserves?
In responding to this doubt, officials of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology explained on Wednesday, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervision Commission website.
He said that there is a validity period for masks. No matter whether it is a manufacturer or a hospital, there will not be a large amount of stockpiles during non-special circumstances.
For N95 masks, protective clothing, etc., the hospital usually does not have large reserves. On weekdays, they will receive masks for a certain amount, but this amount is only enough to protect the medical staff themselves, he said.
The inventory of surgical masks in many hospitals is about a week, he added.
The Ministry said that after this period of effort, mask production reached more than 8 million a day, and the resumption of production and resumption reached 40%. With the recent gradual recovery of mask production capacity, the short-term tension of masks is expected to gradually ease.
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