After a busy shopping weekend, masks and other products in short supply in Bellingham
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After a busy weekend of shoppers stocking up on hand sanitizer and masks, several Whatcom County stores were in short supply or sold out of both.
Visits to several Bellingham stores and pharmacies found they were out of stock of those products as well as digital thermometers on Monday morning, March 2. This came about as residents spent the past week preparing for the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
Stores including the Bakerview Fred Meyer did have some of the disinfecting wipes and Lysol spray, as well as some of the alcohol wipe products and cold prevention products. It looked like a typical busy day at the Bellingham Costco after it opened on Monday morning, although there were a few customers who chose to wear masks.
Doctors and health officials are saying frequent hand-washing and avoiding touching your face are the most effective ways to protect yourself from the coronavirus. They are also urging people not to buy masks unless they are already sick or a health-care worker.
That hasn’t slowed down the inquiries at stores or pharmacies, though. Kendra Van Den Top, a pharmacist at Hoagland Pharmacy, said they’ve had an uptick in calls and visits from people inquiring about masks and hand sanitizer. The masks they had in stock sold out a couple weeks ago and she wasn’t sure when they would get more.
Choices Medical Equipment & Supplies, which is closed on weekends, did have some masks and hand sanitizer products left on Monday morning but expected to be sold out later in the day. Amanda Dykstra, a manager at the Bakerview Square store, said they’ve had a big increase in calls and visits from customers in the past week.
With that uptick in inquiries, Choices has been handing out fact sheets about the coronavirus. She agrees that the masks should be prioritized to the medical community, which is regularly in contact with all kinds of viruses.
Washing your hands is definitely the best option to avoid the coronavirus, Dykstra said.
Dykstra said many of the people inquiring about masks and hand sanitizers are people who are planning on traveling in the near future, including by train and plane.
Van Den Top, who handles travel consultations at the pharmacy for shots, said she’s heard from some patients that they are canceling trips to impacted and not-yet impacted destinations. But others plan to travel and are just trying to prep for the trip.
This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 1:43 PM.
