No buyers for immunity boosters, health drinks and masks

Sales slumped even during the third wave of covid as people throw caution to the wind

Aurangabad, Feb 5:

Sales of immunity booster, health drinks, mask and sanitizer have nosedived in the city, since December last year due to the general laxity in following covid-appropriate behaviour. The sales of ayurvedic products also remained low even during the third wave of covid.

The members of the chemists and druggists association as well as manufacturers have reported a significant drop in the sales in health and hygiene products after the second wave of covid. Association secretary Vinod Lohade said, “There is a significant drop in hygiene and safety products in the city during the last few months, with more than half of mask distributors shutting down the business. If I was selling 500-1000 N95 as well as 3-ply masks per day to retailers earlier, I am now selling just 50-100 pieces daily. People are just not taking the kind of precautions they were taking earlier. Even sanitizer sales have dropped by 60-70 per cent. I would earlier sell 30-40 sanitizer bottles per day but just one or two now.” Mahesh Kerepatil, managing director of Venus Enterprises, a manufacturer of PPE, said mask and PPE kit supplies to hospitals has shrunk by 80 per cent as there was a growing practice of home quarantining patients in the third wave.

Immunity boosters remain on shelves

Surendra Ingle, an Ayurvedic shop owner, confirmed a decline in the sales of immunity products including tulsi and turmeric tablets, ayurvedic drinks, honey and chyawanprash. The immunity boosters are not sold as they were getting sold in the first and the second wave. Except for chyawanprash, we have reduced orders of all other products. For immunity booster kadhas and health drinks the business is almost zero even during the third wave. There has also been no possibility of increase in sales.