Face masks are running low in Sacramento. Is wearing one necessary to prevent coronavirus?

Those looking for surgical masks in Sacramento may have a hard time finding them. At least one supplier in the area is out of stock.

The shortage came after the novel coronavirus outbreak first identified in Wuhan, China arrived in the U.S. There have been six confirmed cases so far, with two of them in Southern California.

There are no confirmed cases of 2019 coronavirus in Sacramento County, according to an update released by Sacramento County Public Health Thursday. Exposure risk of the virus remains low in Northern California.

A worker at a CVS pharmacy in downtown Sacramento told The Sacramento Bee Wednesday that antiviral face masks in the warehouse of the Sacramento region ran out of stock.

Joe Goode, senior director of CVS’ corporate communications department, said the company is “working with suppliers to meet customer demand for face masks” and they will re-supply stores seeing shortages “as quickly as possible.” He did not speculate on whether the shortage was a result of the recent concerns about coronavirus.

As of Wednesday, an antiviral face mask product are “temporarily out of stock” in a majority of Target stores, according to its website where customers can make orders online and arrange delivery. Aside from the Target stores in Vacaville, Sacramento East and Lodi, the rest ran out.

The Walmart supercenter in Florin Towne Centre also ran out of supply of face masks. Jeffrey Sibayan, a staffer at the pharmaceutical department, said the masks have been sold out since Saturday. There are face masks available for order on Walmart’s website.

Staffers at CVS, Target and Walmart are unclear as to when the supply will be restored, and calls to corporate officials at Target and Walmart were not immediately returned Thursday.

Is there a need to wear surgical masks?

The surgical mask protects the wearer against large droplets or sprays of bodily fluid, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The N95 respirator reduces the wearer’s exposure to particles, including both small particles and large droplets.

While they do offer some protection, surgical masks do not protect the wearer from inhaling smaller airborne particles. On the other hand, the N95 respirator filters out at least 95 percent of airborne particles, when properly fitted and donned on the wearer.

Dr. Stuart Cohen, UC Davis’ Director of Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control, said it is not necessary for the general public to wear surgical masks in Sacramento. So far, the risk of infection in Northern California is small because there are no confirmed cases or even viable suspected at-risk cases, he said.

In fact, many types of coronaviruses, not just the newest strain, causes the common cold every season, according to Cohen.

“The coronavirus circulates all the time,” Cohen said. Hospital and health care workers generally use surgical masks when handling patients diagnosed with flu, he said.

But the recommendation to use the N95 respirator, for higher protection, is based on the fact that the novel strain is, as the name implies, new.

“No one is exactly sure of its characteristics,” Cohen said. “So we probably need to do more than we do for other viruses of general classes.”

Cohen doesn’t recommend the N95 respirator for everyone, since it’s only effective if it properly fits the user’s face. Hospitals and healthcare facilities that use it have fit-testing programs for staffers to make sure the respirator can seal correctly. It has to be airtight to effectively filter airborne particles, Cohen said.

Should Sacramentans be worried? Not yet.

Cohen says residents of Northern California should not overly worry about unknown at-risk cases hidden in the community, since the nearest documented case is more than 400 miles south.

Symptoms of the coronavirus will typically show between 2 to 14 days, Cohen said. Therefore, people who have traveled back from at-risk areas in China before being screened last week at California’s main checkpoint, San Francisco International Airport, would have already have shown symptoms.

Cohen acknowledged that the situation may change – “but as of (Thursday) in Sacramento, you don’t need a mask,” he said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends taking everyday preventive steps to control the spread of illnesses:

▪ Wash your hands often with soap and water, but if you cannot get to water, use a hand sanitizer.

▪ Avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes with your hands.

▪ When you cough or sneeze, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or with your elbow. After using a tissue, throw it in the trash and wash your hands.

▪ Clean and disinfect phones, keyboards or other commonly used items regularly.

This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Face masks are running low in Sacramento. Is wearing one necessary to prevent coronavirus?."