Thieves stealing masks, hand sanitizer, gloves from hospitals as store supplies disappear

Hospitals across the Triangle say thieves are stealing masks, gloves and hand sanitizer by the box due to anxiety over the nationwide shortage of medical supplies.

Across UNC Health in Raleigh and Chapel Hill, the problem goes beyond grabbing supplies off a shelf. Some patients and visitors have brought in empty containers and filled them from sanitizer dispensers mounted on the walls, spokesman Alan Wolf said.

“People get very creative,” said Linda Butler, chief medical officer for UNC Rex Healthcare. “And we really ask that they don’t do that. These are supplies that we need to take care of patients.”

“I don’t know what a box of gloves goes for on eBay, but it’s not worth it,” she said.

Up until a few weeks ago, Duke University Hospital in Durham had a self-service station that included face masks, said Sarah Avery, director of the Duke Health news office. But instead of taking a mask or two, people seized them by the handful.

Now, Avery said, they are available by request at the information desk.

In the weeks since the coronavirus outbreak has spread, hand sanitizer has become nearly impossible to find, triggering both thefts and price gouging. NC Attorney General Josh Stein said Thursday his office is investigating a claim of a bottle being sold for $94.

Amazon reported having no Purell in stock Thursday. Some stores that still have it in stock keep it behind the counter.

Thefts have broken out worldwide.

In California, hospitals in San Luis Obispo County made a public plea for people to stop walking off with their sanitizer and masks, according to The Tribune.

In Idaho, thieves took not only the usual supplies but also several cases of toilet paper from a Brigham Young University hospital, according to KIVI in Boise.

But for hand sanitizer, several alternatives exist.

The CDC recommends using gels with at least 60% alcohol. A homemade version can be concocted by combining alcohol with aloe.

Hospitals stress that not everyone is raiding supplies.

“Probably just a few bad apples,” Wolf said. “But we do want it to stop.”

This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 5:23 PM.