Unethical Capitalism

The recent surge of COVID-19’s psychosis has left millions, if not billions, of individuals worldwide distraught. Even before the first reported death in Mexico, there already was wide-spread panic. The most memed impact was the obsessive purchasing of toilet paper. All throughout the city, and in almost every continent, the basic toiletry staple was bought in gargantuan amounts by few individuals. What ensued after was the total chaos of compulsive buying, never-ending lines to enter grocery stores and the empty shelves with nothing to sell. These moves ultimately doom the rest of communities that no longer have any toilet paper available. While this is extremely uncomfortable for the suffering families, it isn’t particularly life-threatening. 

A more impactful trend I have noticed is many individuals traveling use surgical masks and the notorious N95 respirators. While traveling is particularly destructive to the situation, the use of these disposable masks is also inadequate. It is important to note that surgical masks do not protect you from the airborne particles around you,  but they do stop those infected from spreading the virus. These masks are practically useless for healthy people to avoid being infected. Also, only healthcare professionals [and others who care for the infected] should be using N95 respirators given the limited supply of these masks around the world.

A recent trend I have noticed on Instagram stories and Whatsapp chains is the surge of what I would call unethical capitalists. In the face of this terrible situation, they aim to find a way to profit from it, many times at the expense of neighbors, friends and most of all, the medical community. These unethical capitalists will buy vast amounts of basic supplies to stop the spread of Coronavirus such as hand sanitizers, but also far more serious items like surgical masks andN95 respirators. This respirator protects against airborne particles, particularly those that the Coronavirus is transmitted in. Thus, selfish individuals throughout the globe have bought them in large amounts from 3M for their personal safety without thinking about others who may need them much more than they do. It is important to note that only healthcare professionals should use these given their daily close proximity to those infected and that surgical masks should only be used by those infected with the virus so as to not infect those nearby.