Pharmacies in Sydney and Melbourne are struggling to keep up with demand for face masks and hand sanitiser, as sections of the population look to protect themselves from the coronavirus.
It comes as the number of with health services in NSW, Victoria and Queensland responding accordingly to the outbreak.
The face mask shortage has forced members of Australia's Chinese community to look online.
However, there have been unsubstantiated claims on the Chinese messaging site WeChat, seen by SBS Cantonese, that Chinese-based retailers were repackaging used face masks and putting them back onto the market for resale.
Similar claims have been , where citizens clamped down on pop-up stalls selling second hand masks.
People wear masks in Beijing on Jan. 26, 2020, amid the spread of pneumonia caused by a new coronavirus in the central Chinese city of Wuhan Source: AAP
'Confusion'
Fears of infection led Melbourne resident Barney Xia to order surgical masks from an Australian-based online shop.
He told SBS Cantonese that it led to “confusion” when he was told by the supplier post-sale that the type of mask he ordered had sold out. He said he was advised to purchase a "higher quality" alternative, for a higher cost.
He subsequently requested a full refund but was told that refund requests can only be processed face-to-face at the retailer’s outlet.
The type of mask Mr Xia was after had since been taken off the shop's website.
Professor Danform Lim from the University of Technology, Sydney, said consumers needed to be aware of the type of mask to choose.
He stressed that the "three-layered" type of surgical mask was the best to protect consumers from the coronavirus, while saying that masks made from cotton had no use except blocking dust and ash caused by the recent bushfires.
"Higher-level masks such as N95 and N99, which are designed to fit tight to the face creating a seal, should not be used for an extended period of time," Prof Lim said.
Prof Lim reminds consumers who wear surgical masks not to touch the rectangular section of the mask with dirty hands, both before putting it on and after taking it off.
Minister for Health Greg Hunt MP confirmed on Wednesday that there are currently 12 million face masks in the government's reserve, which will be distributed when necessary, ensuring medical professionals would have face masks to use as cases arise.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Wednesday that 1 million masks will be released from the national stockpile.
SBS Cantonese has contacted the NSW Department of Health for the latest guidelines regarding face masks.
Source: EPA
