‘sudden jump’
Given the outbreak on the mainland, worried shoppers in Hong Kong have been buying over-the-counter flu medicine for nearly two weeks, clearing pharmacy shelves.
“Last week, there were people who bought a dozen, two dozen boxes of Panadol to send to mainland China,” a pharmacy worker told AFP.
The semi-autonomous city’s biggest pharmacy chain, Mannings, has limited purchases of fever, cold, flu and cough medicines by popular Western brands as well as Chinese Lianhua Qingwen Capsules, citing a “sudden surge in demand”. .
The president of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Pharmacy said most of the drugs purchased were going to China.
And Taiwanese officials said they have also seen bulk purchases of Panadol and similar drugs over the past few weeks.
“If the situation worsens, we will consider a rationing plan so that everyone can buy,” said the head of Taiwan’s epidemic control command center.