Duval County

Coronavirus fear causes mask shortages at local stores

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Despite there being no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Florida, local stores are facing shortages in medical masks and even hand sanitizer.

Places like Target, CVS, Walmart and other pharmacy stores have empty shelves right now, due to the fear surrounding coronavirus.

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“That just shows you the hysteria that there is over this virus,” explains Dr. Alexis Vazquez, a pulmonologist at Memorial Hospital.

CVS tells Action News Jax that N95 surgical masks are in very limited supply due to a global demand, which is causing temporary shortages locally.

“Yesterday I received a phone call from my mom." Vazquez said. "She is in complete hysteria because there’s no masks in any of the CVS’s or any of the pharmacy stores.”

But Vazquez says as of right now, there’s no need to buy masks to avoid getting the coronavirus.

“Masks at this particular junction are not going do anything for you. The number one thing is hand hygiene. I would highly recommend wash your hands or have a hand sanitizer to use quite frequently.”

So for now, his best advice is, “I would not let the coronavirus limit what you do currently with your life.” ​

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