A Dubbo pharmacist says he believes the face mask supply chain is "much more robust" this time as demand rises once more.
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Greg Shearing said inquiries about face masks had "definitely" spiked again in recent days as COVID-19 outbreaks continue to grow in NSW, and by the hundreds in Victoria.
Three more deaths in Victoria were confirmed on Tuesday, and from Thursday it will be mandatory for adults to wear a mask in Melbourne and the neighbouring Mitchell Shire in an effort to slow community transmission.
NSW health minister Brad Hazzard earlier this month recommended masks be worn if social distancing was not possible.
Mr Shearing, owner of Priceline Pharmacy Dubbo, had some confidence stores would be able to keep up with demand.
"Yes, I believe the supply chain is much more robust this time around and I think we will not see the great shortages we did three or four months ago," he said.
...I think we will not see the great shortages we did three or four months ago.
- Pharmacist Greg Shearing
Customers were often seeking masks for one of two reasons.
"Mostly people with underlying health issues but also people who have unavoidable travel to areas such as Sydney, especially by public transport," Mr Shearing said.
The pharmacist with decades of experience said physical distancing and good hand hygiene were still "the mainstays of infection control".
"For high-risk individuals or areas where community transmission levels are high, masks will confer a modest improvement in infection control," he said.
"However, if the mask is applied or used inappropriately, it may actually worsen infection control.
"It is important to ensure that it is fitted snugly as per NSW Health guidelines, not touched during use, and discarded after one use for surgical masks, or washed after every use for reusable cloth masks."
Mr Shearing also advised community members to wash their hands, stay at home unless there was an essential/ unavoidable reason to go out, isolate and get tested for COVID-19 if they had any respiratory symptoms, "even mild ones such as cough, sniffles, sore throat".
They should also use contactless services as much as possible, he said.
"Look out for each other especially our older community members and look after yourself," he said.
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) and Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) on Tuesday gave strong support for the Victorian government's recommendations that regional residents of that state wear a mask if they could not physical distance.
The peak bodies recommended regional residents in all states follow suit.
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I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
