Hong Kongers make their own face masks amid global shortages to battle Coronavirus

Hong Kongers have started making their own face masks amid the global shortages after the deadly Coronavirus outbreak in China and the rest of the world. According to reports, people in Hing Kong have started manufacturing their own face masks with a pop-up production line and seamstresses churning them out on sewing machines.

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Hong Kong is a semi-autonomous region in China and is also facing the threat over the spread of the virus in the region. Long queues reportedly crop up outside pharmacies as soon as the new stock arrives and it runs out in no time. Hong Kongers are turning to DIY solutions to cope up with the supply and battle the contagious virus. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

According to media reports, the new Coronavirus has claimed more than 2,200 lives and has infected over 75,000 people in China since it first broke out in December last year. The United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) had earlier said that the virus has already spread to 27 countries, including as far as western Europe.

As per reports, the Coronavirus originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the believed epicentre of the disease. Media reports also stated that animals were being traded illegally in the market from where the disease originated.

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The Coronavirus has claimed more lives than its predecessor Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). According to reports, SARS, which broke out in China in 2002-2003 had claimed more than 774 lives, which is way below the current death toll from COVID-19. According to reports, China on February 13 reported the highest number of deaths caused by the virus in a single day as 254 people died in Hubei province. Chinese authorities have quarantined people in 12 cities across China to prevent the spread of the virus, 11 of which is located in Hubei province. 

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(With inputs from Agencies)