At Phoenix, we are fortunate to have connections with many high-quality manufacturers in China, including those that produce medical face masks. We are pleased to announce that we have a small supply of face masks available from our online shop, with another 10,000 boxes of 50 face masks on standby for import by air freight. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic driving global demand for personal protection equipment (PPE), there has been vast shortages of face masks for not only the general public but also frontline NHS staff.
The coronavirus pandemic has put an enormous strain on NHS resources, and we find ourselves with an extreme lack of PPE. This leaves doctors, nurses and other health workers at risk of endangering their health when tending to patients with coronavirus.
Whilst the NHS faces its own challenges, the general public also is in dire need of face masks to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
China’s neighbours such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan are some of the most highly populated regions in Asia, yet they have some of the lowest rates of COVID-19 cases and just 8 deaths between them. The SARS pandemic in 2003, albeit now comparably modest to the current SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, had taught these countries some hard lessons. From the end of December, when news of the COVID-19 outbreak surfaced, these countries have shown great diligence in preventing the spread of the coronavirus, and some of their achievements are owed to the individuals within those countries. Since the SARS pandemic in 2002/03, it has been common practice to wear a face mask even if an individual finds him or herself with the common cold. The people of Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan conscientiously wear a face mask daily when they venture into public places, work or use public transport. This is something that we, in the UK, need to learn.
We have partnered with one of the largest medical face mask producers in China, YADU, to import a vast amount of face masks. They are just one of 20 manufacturers in China that are CE certified and compliant with EU standards. Whilst the masks are not suitable for frontline NHS staff to use in hospitals, they are ideal for the general public to use when visiting the supermarket to buy groceries or travelling to work. These face masks are disposable and are single use only. We recommend that individuals use one face mask per day. 
Unfortunately, each box has cost us £28.50 to import to the UK from China. As an honest supplier, we do not wish to profit from this dreadful time, so we are supplying each box at cost price. As there has been a massive increase in global demand for not only face masks, but also shipping to import these products, the cost per box has exponentially increased. Before the coronavirus outbreak, a box of 50 face masks would have cost no more than £5.00.
Click here to purchase face masks.
Whilst our herbal dispensary services are not part of primary COVID-19 treatment in the UK, we believe that we can still help prevent the spread of the coronavirus for individuals that are currently staying at home or travelling to work. We encourage practitioners to explain the importance of wearing face masks to friends, family, patients when visiting the supermarket or using public transport as social distancing may not always be possible.
If you have any further questions about this article or our products, please contact info@phoenixmd.co.uk. If you wish to work with us to help supply the general public with more face masks, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
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