Shelves emptying as 'panic-buying' of hand sanitizer, masks and toilet paper continues

Updated March 10, 2020 at 10:22 p.m.: Health unit confirms first case of COVID-19 in Sudbury and Manitoulin districts. Read more here.

Original:

To date, there are no cases of COVID-19 in the Public Health Sudbury and District, said a health unit spokesperson. However, the health unit is aware of seven tests submitted for COVID-19 from within the district, said Jamie Lamothe, manager, communications, strategic engagement unit.

“Additional tests may have been submitted that we are unaware of,” said Lamothe. No positive cases of the virus have been reported, he said.

Lamothe said testing is done for a number of reasons, including surveillance and case investigation. Per provincial regulations, he said anyone who is being tested as part of a case investigation is required to self-quarantine until the test results are known and reassessment can occur.

A source who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Sudbury.com a number of people who attended a Toronto mining show in the first week of March attended Health Sciences North after returning home to be tested for COVID-19. They are all under self-quarantine, as per the regulation. The source is also under self-quarantine for possible exposure.

“We encourage everyone to visit phsd.ca/COVID-19 for information about how to prepare for the potential spread of COVID-19, how to monitor their health, and what to do if they think they are sick.”

Meanwhile, many Sudburians have seemed to jump on the “panic-buying” bandwagon in the wake of the novel coronovirus, stockpiling such items as hand sanitizer, masks and even toilet paper.

The Shoppers Drug Mart in Sudbury's South End has sold out of hand sanitizer, and cannot source any to replenish their stock, said store manager Ben Benson.

“We've had no masks for more than a month, which is partly due to the coronovirus,” he said.

Vinyl and latex gloves are also sold out, he said. Bathroom tissue is now selling out quickly, too. Businesses across the country have reported toilet paper is selling out faster than it can be restocked.

So much so, retailers across the country have started limiting the number of toilet paper packs customers can buy in one trip.

Canada had at least 79 cases of the respiratory illness as of Tuesday morning: 32 in British Columbia, 36 in Ontario, seven in Alberta and four in Quebec.

Canada reported its first death from COVID-19 on Monday. A man in his 80s died at a North Vancouver long-term care centre Sunday night, two to three days after first showing symptoms, British Columbia's provincial health officer said.

