Against the backdrop of an unprecedented public health scenario where governments across the world are making use of face masks mandatory, the global market for N95 masks is expected to whizz past US$5.3 billion by the year 2027. The global growth over the analysis period will be supported by spiraling demand as frenzied hospitals and consumers scramble to stockpile face masks to ride out the pandemic. N95 mask hitherto used only by doctors, healthcare staff and chemical/industrial plant workers, is now an important piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) even for consumers. COVID-19 as a highly contagious disease caused by a novel corona virus that spreads through saliva droplets or nasal discharges and can cause severe respiratory illness eventually leading to acute respiratory failure if timely symptomatic care is not given. Currently, over 75 countries have mandated the use of face masks in public along with stringent social distancing norms. With a wide variety of masks now available in the market ranging from non-medical fabric masks to medical grade masks with varying levels of filtration capabilities and effectiveness, demand for N95 masks is rising given its proven effectiveness in filtering viruses. With most countries now experiencing community spread of the diseases, there is strong demand for effective face masks. N95 masks in this regard, provides over 95% protection against airborne viruses as compared to surgical masks which are more effective in blocking splashes and large-particle droplets. Surgical N95 respirators are more close and tight fitting around the nose and mouth and have very efficient filtration of airborne particles and viruses transmitted by coughs, sneezes, or certain medical procedures.

The unprecedented spike in demand for N95 masks has created acute supply shortages which governments are scrambling to address. As death tolls and the number of infections rise to horrifying highs, N95 masks are coming under significant demand and supply pressures. Increasing infections among doctors, healthcare workers and frontline COVID-19 response teams is aggravating the urgency of stepping up production capacity. The scenario is exerting pressure on strategies for optimizing supply. The U. S. government has invoked the Defense Production Act against companies like 3M to produce 40 million N95 masks over the next 95 days. 3M in this regard plans to increase production from 400 million a year to 1 billion in the coming months to over 2 billion by the end of 2020. The export market for these masks is also under a severe crunch with manufacturers getting backlogged with their own domestic orders leaving very little room for exports. Also, several governments have imposed trade/export bans on essential healthcare equipment including personal protective equipment like face masks. Disruption in raw material supply chain also remains a major bottleneck in getting production up and running at full steam. N95 masks, unlike cloth or surgical masks, come with a complex inner fabric material that is currently in short supply. This fabric is made up of thousands of nonwoven fibers fused together through a process known as melt blown extrusion. 90-inch-wide conveyor belts are used to fuse fibers together tightly in a manner that allows air to pass through the microscopic perforations but traps microbes. The beginning of the pandemic witnessed China and Taiwan, the largest manufacturers of this material ban exports which ripped the global supply chain apart.

Amid suspicions of China`s game plan to gain post corona virus economic dominance, the country`s early recovery is making it a major global producer of medical supplies. With the world`s major economies still grappling with the social and economic cost of the pandemic, China`s early recovery is giving it a head start. Mismanagement of the pandemic and the resulting steeper decline and slow recovery of the U. S, and Euro zone when compared to China`s successful containment gives the country a clear edge. China is also successfully leading global coordination of health systems like WHO& other multilateral institutions. With the world critically short of face masks, China is rising to the challenge as the only country to quickly operationalize its manufacturing sector. Several desperate countries worldwide are relying on China to supply the world`s most coveted commodity - "N95 masks" However, quality issues and emerging signs of economic distancing and global hostility towards China are emerging to be major challenges. The push to break supply chains with China and the focus on self-reliance is already pushing up domestic production of face masks among numerous other products, in several countries.