RPT: REVIEW - Demand For Kid-Sized Face Masks To Long Outpace Supply

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RPT: REVIEW - Demand for Kid-Sized Face Masks to Long Outpace Supply

ST.PETERSBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th June, 2020) � Finding a face mask that is the right size for a child might not be an easy task and the situation is unlikely to change in the nearest future, entrepreneurs have told Sputnik.

Wearing any sort of face coverings in public has become a new practice, and for residents of big cities worldwide, it has also become a temporary law imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19. Due to high demand, companies across the globe are trying to increase the domestic production of medical face masks, while others have started to sell reusable cloth masks.

"In general, the main problem with face masks and especially with masks for children is that this product has not been in demand for many years. A share of children masks' sales has always been equal to a small percent in total," entrepreneur, founder and long-term manager of KIT LLC Pavel Spichakov told Sputnik.

Spichakov's company started producing masks back in 2010, and since then, the demand has been growing.

"As of today, due to an extraordinary demand amid the pandemic, manufacturers were able to expand production and buy better equipment and materials, but because of the fact that demand for adult masks has not yet been fulfilled, no one is ready to pay extra to adjust their production for children masks. Besides, no one knows what will the demand for them be in the post-pandemic era," he said.

Spichakov predicted a shortage of kids face masks in the future and stressed that even those manufacturers who specialize in adult masks have now begun to question their future in the post-pandemic world.

"Production in this field will never meet the growing demand, so the only way to ensure the supply for such goods is to carry a buffer inventory in a strategic state stockpile," he explained.

According to Spichakov, the state has already formed large reserves of medical face masks, taking into account the lessons of COVID-19. There are kid-sized masks in reserves as well, but the volumes are small, he stressed.

SHOULD CHILDREN WEAR FACE MASKS?

It has been proven by clinical research and supported by COVID-19 statistics that children are less susceptible to the virus, nevertheless, disease control bodies worldwide still recommend that children wear face masks.

For example, in the United States, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommended that children over the age of 2 wear a face mask when leaving the house. However, the US body notes that face coverings should not be placed on anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious or incapacitated.

The Russian Union of Pediatricians stated that it is not recommended for children under the age of 3 to wear face coverings at all, stressing that babies and toddlers cannot explain if they have trouble with breathing and cannot adjust a mask.

Older children are easier to convince to wear a mask.

Experts agree that medical-grade masks are more effective in comparison to cloth coverings.

Nevertheless, when it comes to buying one, in Russia, the United States or somewhere in Europe, for instance, parents run into problems finding them.

Luckily, there are a handful of companies worldwide that have tailored their mask-making methods to suit children.

In addition to big US retailers, such as Amazon, Etsy, GAP, Nordstrom and others, that have begun to sell reusable cloth masks for children, smaller companies also adjusted their production after seeing the lack of availability of masks for children.

"We started with adult masks early on - we wanted to send masks to our families and we realize we didn't have any to send to our little nieces and nephews. Even though COVID cases in children are pretty low - children could still be vehicles of the virus. Everyone has a social responsibility to wear their masks to protect themselves and to protect others - including kids," Adam Smith, the owner of the Binky company, told Sputnik in an interview.

The Binky brand offers family subscriptions that send families new masks with funny cartoon characters every month. Its services are only available in the United States.

Another brand, which, in a way, predicted the demand for face masks a year before the pandemic and ended up making it a fashion statement in its FW19/20 collection, is the Russian children clothes company, Prairie.

"Masks were in our collection a year before the pandemic. This is a fashion accessory. We see it as a part of urban culture. When we realized that there is a demand for face masks amid the pandemic, we simply strengthened a mask's filtering properties, selected breathable fabrics and made several new sizes, prints, and designs," the brand's representative told Sputnik.

Binky's owner, Adam Smith, echoed the previous comment in a way, underlining that he had anticipated a cultural shift in which there would be a bigger focus on personal hygiene moving forward.

"If you take a look at Japan & other Western countries - they have been wearing masks for health, cultural, & etiquette purposes. Masks also help protect against dust & pollution, so wearing masks is two fold and has longvity since unhealthy air conditions are becoming more serious," he stated.

Experts worldwide agree that nonmedical reusable face coverings will not offer complete protection, but if used properly, they are better than nothing, especially if we rely on the medical findings concluding that as many as 40 percent of people with coronavirus, including kids, may not show any symptoms.

In the United States, where the epidemiological situation is still rather critical, the authorities recommend cloth masks because medical masks and respirators are in short supply and should be reserved for health care and frontline workers.

The CDC even provided directions on how to make a face cover with a pocket to insert a coffee filter. However, US pediatricians do not recommend those for children because they are less breathable.