Coronavirus fears drive Bradenton residents to buy face masks. Do you really need them?

Though the new coronavirus has yet to surface in Florida, some Manatee County residents are buying face masks, and lots of them.

The respiratory virus first appeared in Wuhan, the capital of a Chinese province, and was later deemed a public health emergency by the World Health Organization. Calling for “rationale use of medical masks,” WHO is urging people to use a mask if they have respiratory symptoms, such as coughing or sneezing, but to avoid using masks and wasting resources when possible.

It seems that message was lost in the panic, as the U.S. government joined WHO in declaring a public health emergency last week. Around the same time, Home Depot began to sell an unusual number of masks at the store on Cortez Road West, in Bradenton, said Rickiya Dunbar-Harrikissoon, a store employee.

“People were coming in the store and purchasing cartloads of face masks,” she said. “I thought, ‘OK, they must be painting a lot.’”

A CVS Pharmacy in Palmetto, 945 Eighth Ave. W., had no significant increase in mask sales or questions about the virus, according to one employee. However, the tale was much different at a Walgreens directly across the street.

Pharmacist Christina Yang said the store was out of masks on Tuesday afternoon, and she saw a large increase in hand sanitizer sales.

Yang said the store was out of masks, at least in part, because corporate officials were allocating supplies to high-need areas, such as cities with confirmed cases and frequent travelers.

“It’s scary because we are in flu season and you can’t really distinguish the difference in the symptoms,” Yang said. “But as long as you are taking the normal preventive actions as you would during a regular flu season, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

Yang said customers were asking a lot of questions, especially if they planned to travel in the near future.

“Get your flu shots, use hand sanitizer, keep yourself clean,” she said. “If you are traveling, you can probably find masks at other locations.”

Suncoast Medical Supply has locations in Bradenton and St. Petersburg . Both sold their entire mask supply over the past week, including their N95 respirators and their antiviral masks.

Karen Bauer, an employee at the Bradenton store, said she was unable to order masks from her usual supplier on Tuesday, and she expected her shelves to remain empty for the next month.

“A lot of people are flying to places that do have the virus, or they’re just sending them back,” she said. “I had a lady, she hit every Walgreens, every Walmart, and she had bags of masks, sending them back to China.”

Bauer said she understood why people were concerned, especially the elderly and people with a compromised immune system, but she also urged people to focus on preparation, not panic.

According to the World Health Organization, people should frequently wash their hands and avoid contact with their eyes, nose and mouth. If residents have a fever, a cough or difficulty breathing, they should seek medical attention.

If someone has no travel history within China, mild respiratory symptoms can likely be addressed with normal hygiene and rest, the health organization reported.

The risk to most Americans was low as of Monday, and the use of face masks was not recommended, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency reported 11 cases of coronavirus in the U.S., affecting people in Massachusetts, Illinois, Arizona, California and Washington.

“If you’re staying around here locally, you really shouldn’t even bother at this point in time,” Bauer said of the face masks. “Until cases get here, I don’t think people should really go crazy over it.”

This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 5:00 AM.