The current epidemic is recurrent, and the United States is one of the hardest hit areas. Local timeOn January 3, the number of confirmed cases reported by COVID-19 exceeded 1 million in a single day, which also set a new global record for a single day. In this situation, not only is the supply of testing reagents in short supply, but the demand for masks is also on the rise.
With the start of the new semester in the United States, the demand for children's masks has skyrocketed. Local public health experts urge them to abandon masks and instead use themKN95 and KF94 can better filter aerosols that transmit viruses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States also recommends that all students aged 2 and above wear masks indoors.
This data can first be seen through Google search trends. Since January, with the severity of the epidemic,The search volume for 'Kids KN95 mask' has increased again. Although it has slowed down compared to the sudden surge in demand in the past few days, it is still under high demand.
(Image sourceGoogle Search Trends)
In addition, e-commerce platforms are an important way for everyone to purchase masks,The keyword 'Kids KN95 mask' has seen a sharp increase in search volume on Amazon, with search rankings showing an upward trend. And through search data, it can be found that the search traffic last week alone was close to 18w, indicating its popularity.
(Image sourced from Amazon backend)
Not only has search volume increased, but prices also fluctuate greatly with demand. It is reported that childrenKN95 masks were sold for $3 each during the peak of the Delta wave, but later fell back to $1 to $1.5, and now they have rebounded to over $2. According to personnel from protective agencies, the problem for many families is not finding masks, but paying for them.
According to the mask distributorAccording to the President of Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., the demand for KN95 masks has sharply increased in the past three weeks, with sales of children's masks doubling in December compared to the recent sales low. And according to Premium-PPE, another surgical mask manufacturer, the factory manufactured KN95 masks for children 24 hours a day before January and is expected to sell out in February.
The epidemic in the United States is still in a serious state, and the consumption boom of protective equipment such as masks may continue for some time.