Coronavirus: global stocks of protective gear are depleted, with demand at “100 times” normal level, WHO warns

The demand for personal protective equipment such as masks and respirators is 100 times the normal level, and costs have skyrocketed to around 20 times their usual price, the World Health Organization has reported.

WHO warned of “severe disruption” in the market for personal protective equipment and said that worldwide stocks were “now insufficient” to meet demand. The warning came from WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, during his opening remarks at a …