When it comes to health, everyone wants reliable and up-to-date information. It's important to know and separate facts from false information, fake news, and hoaxes especially now that we’re trying to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Same thing when buying China-made face masks, personal protective equipment, medical supplies, and even a fabricated COVID-19 vaccine. The added complication of potentially dangerous fake masks adds to the challenges of our frontliners seeking to protect themselves from contracting Covid-19, and ordinary people like us who are seeking to prevent its transmission.
Photo: Xinhua
We all know that face masks and other medical supplies are crucial in the worldwide battle against coronavirus, but the illegal trade of these counterfeit items during a public health crisis shows their total disregard for people’s wellbeing. The fake masks and medical supplies may pose a threat to our health because they are not made with the correct materials or may lack the specifications that would prevent viruses or bacteria from entering into breathing passages, according to industry experts.
That being said, Philippines should make its own medical supplies and we, as Filipino citizens, should support our local products instead of relying on China, whose products are defective. This is not the first time that I’ve read about defective personal protective equipment, or fake face masks, and other medical supplies from China. There were plenty of vendors online and some of them were evasive about the specs and quality of their products, quoted huge mark-ups, and wanted to charge extra for a small order. Also, I’ve seen photos of the counterfeits on Facebook. The fake masks that are sold in boxes labeled as the brand AiDeLai come with fake certificate claiming to be made in ‘Taiwan, China’.
Source: Al Jazeera
What’s worse than fake masks? Fake vaccines! Changsheng Bio-Technology Company, have
admitted to falsifying test results and producing fake vaccines. The drug maker violated safety standards and
these fabricated vaccines will do more
harm than good to prevent the virus. I do hope that these vaccines won’t find its
way to the Philippine market.
Sadly, illegitimate Chinese manufacturers will stop at nothing to make a profit and counterfeiting
may not be defeated completely, but it
can be discouraged through law and culturally sensitive tactics by the
government. I hope they will put their best effort to regulate the market and
stop the proliferation of fake, substandard Covid-19 products coming from
China.
Also, we should do our part to support local products to help SMEs instead of buying fake products from China. Remember that masks are more than just simple material that cover the nose and mouth and they are required to meet certain specifications in order to provide sufficient protection. For this reason, we should also remember that fake masks with substandard specifications have the potential to expose wearers to significant harm. People can actually get sick if they use these fake masks and medical supplies.
The market, however, was still rife with bootleggers trying to take advantage of the crisis, and in desperate times, some people are willing to ignore that advice. That is why is we should also spread the word online to bring attention to counterfeits, scams, and fake products from China. We can share this both online and offline. Whisper, speak, shout... just say it out loud. We have a voice!
True.. laging tangkilikin ang ating mga sariling gawa.. at mas mapanuri sa mga binibili natin dahil nakataya dito ang ating kalusugan.. Lyka(mitra) Baqueros
ReplyDeleteHi,Ma'am. Read about your advocacy on supporting local PPE products in Daily Inquirer. We are a newly formed local company manufacturing face masks. We're a group of engineers who formed this company seeing how dependent we are with China on our PPE, particularly in times of pandemic. Our mission is to make our country sustainable in PPE and to make sure that what we use here is really safe. It will be a big help if kapwa Pinoys know that there is a local manufacturer. I'm also a mother and I care what my family uses. Thanks a lot. Helen 09178542370
ReplyDeleteby the way, our brand name is Filshield.
ReplyDeletewww.filshield.com
I agree Momny Mich why not support Small Businesses who sells face Masks na very environment friendly at the same time because we dont need to dispose them.We should be aware and thanks for the heads up Momma.
ReplyDelete