Severe shortage of face masks in Egypt amid Coronavirus fears, prices up by 500%

Severe shortage of face masks in Egypt amid Coronavirus fears, prices up by 500%

The medical supplies market in Egypt is suffering from a severe shortage of face masks, and the increasing demand has led prices of masks to skyrocket in the country by 500 percent, amid fears over a Coronavirus outbreak that has killed over 1,700 people in mainland China and infected 70,000.. For his part, head of the Pharmaceuticals Division at FEDCOC Ali Ouf said that there are currently eight production lines for face masks in medical supply factories across Egypt, admitting that the production capacity of these companies - just 60 million face masks annually - fails to meet the demand of the local market.. Egypt, before the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus, imported five times what it produces in face masks from India and China, Ouf added in a statement to Al-Masry Al-Youm.. Egypt has stopped importing face masks from China over Coronavirus fears.. Because there is high demand for face masks and the supply within the country remains low, face masks are now being sold at LE 5 in the black market, five times its original price, Ouf said..