To ensure fair distribution, shopping limits have been reintroduced by supermarkets in Victoria and it might be the case that NSW needs to follow suit.Ī/Prof. The daily necessities of the average Australian have evolved to include what makes our lives comfortable and convenient – and toilet paper seems to be clearly one of them. Is such consumer behaviour warranted and rational? People are also stocking up fearing that they might be trapped in a similar situation to Wuhan where everyone is in lockdown,” says A/Prof. “They do not know if supplies of essential goods will be ongoing or disrupted and are therefore buying supplies in bulk in case they need to self-isolate. “When at risk, people feel reassured when they are able to take back a sense of control and do something to reduce that risk,” says Associate Professor of Marketing Nitika Garg from UNSW Business School.Ĭonsumers are also panic buying out of the fear of the unknown. A spike in COVID-19 hotspots in Victoria has prompted thousands of Australians to rush back to stores to stockpile essentials. “Our healthcare workers are our heroes on the frontline – and we’re working hard to make sure they have the protective equipment they need to keep saving lives and doing their job safely.Panic buying toilet paper seems to be as highly infectious as the virus itself. “We’ve been preparing carefully for the peak of the coronavirus pandemic and Victorians can be assured we have PPE and other equipment on hand, and new deliveries coming in every day.” Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos The Government’s $1.9 billion health fund has allowed the state’s hospitals to build more bed capacity, secure ICU equipment, staff and space to meet the expected surge in cases and boost the state’s stockpile of PPE. The Government has also established a PPE taskforce – bringing together key people from the health sector and the department to ensure access and communications around PPE is informed by experts, clear and consistent. In response to the pandemic, the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Purchasing Victoria and Monash Health have developed a centralised approach to procurement, distribution and management of critical medical equipment and consumables to ensure supplies are distributed to where they are needed most.

The 8,000 m 2 warehouse was opened in August last year to help allow for increased stock levels of critical hospital supplies and better value for money through bulk purchases of high-volume goods. More than 40 full-time employees work in the warehouse and an additional 120 Monash Health workers are employed in finance and administrative roles. Every day 1,700 cartons of vital medical equipment and supplies, or the equivalent of four trucks, are delivered to around 60 locations – with 90 per cent of orders delivered within 24 hours. Since the coronavirus pandemic began, stock in the warehouse has doubled. More than 10 million gloves, 16 million surgical masks, 2 million N95 masks, 5 million isolation gowns and more than 2 million face shields and eye protection are due to arrive at the warehouse in the next two weeks. Supplies include surgical masks, N95 masks, gloves gowns, hand sanitizer and other vital items that are key to the Victorian Government’s coronavirus preparedness response. Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos said new orders are arriving at the warehouse every day which are then quickly distributed across the state’s health system and quarantine hotels to keep health care workers and staff safe. A massive warehouse in Melbourne’s south-east is stocked with vital medical supplies ready to be distributed to Victorian health care workers on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic.

Victoria 2 stockpile purchases