Demand and supply of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic

Healthcare workers caring for sick patients are exposed to biological aerosols or droplets generated from sneezing, coughing, breathing, and speaking that may include normal oral, nasopharyngeal, or skin bacteria along with infectious ones such as coronavirus disease (COVID-19). It therefore follows that one of the main aspects of personal protective equipment against COVID-19 is the mask. It has now been conclusively shown that use of surgical masks by general public and health care personnel have helped to prevent the spread of infection, particularly COVID-19. In this brief technical note, we address the urgency in meeting the increasing demands of masks as the first line of defense in the ongoing pandemic.