Sale of vitamin C tablets, betadine gargles spike; hydroxychloroquine to be sold on prescription in Tricity
Even as doctors suggest that Limcee is a good immunity booster, they also advise to gargle with salt water gargle instead of with betadine gargles.
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“Soon after the outbreak of coronavirus, people, either learning from the doctors or through the social networking applications, have thronged chemist shops in the city to buy Limcee mostly,” said a ember of Chandigarh Chemist Association. (Representational Image)
Amid panic and fear of getting infected by the coronavirus, demand and sale of Limcee (Vitamin C) tablet and betadine gargle have rose to 60 per cent and 30 per cent at the Tricity chemist stores.
Even as doctors suggest that Limcee is a good immunity booster, they also advise to gargle with salt water gargle instead of with betadine gargles. “Soon after the outbreak of coronavirus, people, either learning from the doctors or through the social networking applications, have thronged chemist shops in the city to buy Limcee mostly,” said Vipul Anand, Member of Chandigarh Chemist Association.
“The demand of the tablet, Limcee has increased to 50-60 per cent in past week, due to which stock tablet had to be refilled. At present, we are getting our stock of medicines from the company warehouses at Zirakpur, through the distributors, so there is not really a shortage of medicines of now,” Anand added.
Anand further said that people are also demanding betadine gargle mouthwash, which has increased its sale. Along with it, people are also buying thermometers.
Only digital and glass thermometers are being sold in the market as of now. There is no availability of Gun or Infrared thermometers in the Tricity. “The stock of infrared thermometers was over in January itself as the product was the one being exported to foreign countries in most numbers,” added Anand.
Anand, however, said that the only problem faced by the chemists is that of being issued curfew passes. They have asked the administration to sort the problem t- ensure that they are able to work easily.
President of the Panchkukla Chemist Association, Manoj Gulati, said that the chemist shops in Panchkula are short in stock of Limcee tablets, betadine gargles, and daily sanitizer products. “The chemists in Panchkula are finding it difficult to get the stock as consumption of some particular medicines has increased,” he said.
“There has also been a big demand of hydroxychloroquine medicine, as people had earlier found it to be useful against coronavirus through social networking applications. Now after the notification of the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research), the medicine is being provided to people only on doctors’ prescription,” added Gulati.
On the rise in sale of Limcee tablets and betadine gargles, GMCH Associate Professor Dr Surinder Singhal said, “Limcee can be taken once a day as it boosts immunity, but for the betadine gargles I would rather advice for normal salt water gargles as betadine, which has iodine, can affect the thyroid function in the body.”
Regarding the hydroxychloroquine tablet, Dr Singhal said, “As per ICMR, Hydroxychloroquine is advisable only through doctor prescription and only a person who has been in contact with a COVID-19 positive patient should take it under a doctor’s guidance, otherwise its toxicity can affect the heart.”
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