Demand for paracetamol, pulse oximeters soars during second Covid-19 wave

The second Covid-19 wave has sent demand skyward for paracetamol and equipment like thermometers and pulse oximeters.

Sales of paracetamol tablets went up by nearly 40 per cent in the first two weeks of April, even as druggists reported more people flocking before their stores in the wake of the second wave.

“Compared to sales during the first wave of Covid-19, the demand for medicines and instruments is relatively higher. However, this time around, the supply is also in match with the demand unlike the first time when there were serious shortages,” said M K Mayanna, president, Bruhat Bengaluru Chemists and Druggists Association.

The rising sales are also an indication of anxiety among people to go to doctors for fear of testing positive for Covid-19 and their preference to take fever tablets and personally monitor their condition.

“The demand for paracetamol tablets, especially Dolo-650 has skyrocketed in the last two weeks as people are looking to stock them up. In March, about 35,000 sheets of Dolo-650 tablets were sold in a day. Now, around 45,000 sheets are selling. People are also buying thermometers and oximeters in large numbers,” Mayanna explained.

“The demand for paracetamol tablets, especially Dolo-650 has skyrocketed in the last two weeks as people are looking to buy and stock them up at homes. In March, about 35,000 sheets of Dolo -650 tablets were being sold in a day. Now, around 45,000 sheets are sold every day. People are also buying thermometers and oximeters in large numbers,” Mayanna explained.

Though the N-95 masks were in high demand last year, the preference among people to use cloth masks for daily purposes has meant N-95 masks are not preferred.

In the early days of the pandemic, the government had strictly instructed druggists to upload data of people buying paracetamol tablets and cough syrups, but it became less stringent in the days that followed.

This time though, chemists did not receive any such instructions and are allowed to sell the medicines and cough syrups like Benadryl over the counter without having to share details with the government.