Virus fears fuel sales

Virus fears fuel sales

The virus outbreak has proved to be a boon for sales of medical masks and hand sanitizer, but has also sharply driven up prices. Store shelves at pharmacies and general retailers like Costco and Walmart are being emptied of the products as the virus continues its spread and drives more people into fear-induced shopping sprees. The rush for masks, hand sanitizer and disinfectants has sent prices skyrocketing on sites like Amazon over the last few weeks. Bottles of Purell, the best-selling hand sanitizer, sell for more than $100 in some extreme cases on the website. Boxes of surgical masks have seen similar gouging. The surge is occurring despite imploring by health officials that people refrain from hoarding the products because a supply crunch hurts the medical professionals with the greatest need for them. Some stores are limiting the amount of products that shoppers can buy. Meanwhile, Purell and other companies are trying to speed production.