Probably because despite how the media is portraying things, people are concerned and can actually act out of altruism. Plus, individuals who are practicing soc

Probably because despite how the media is portraying things, people are concerned and can actually act out of altruism. Plus, individuals who are practicing social distancing probably don't need to go through PPE like you would in an intensive care ward. I'm in China and have sold over 30,000 masks to the US (not for profit, but I don't have the cash to just donate them). We've sold to hundreds of different individuals at this point, and none of them are using the buying patterns you describe. The only people buying more than a hundred or so are buying for employees, hospitals, or doing a good job of lying about their intentions. Everyone is buying just a few and making them last. So far I've personally taken one 10-pack of KN95s from our stock (of which I use 4 so far, on rotation. the other 6 are still in the pack), and about 5 surgical masks. There are strategies for extending the life if you do a little research. The vast majority of regular people just aren't currently using PPE in the way you describe. After reading up on it, personally I think there's a useful middle ground between throwing away masks like you would in an ICU and completely doing without. Sanitizer and gloves I know less about. But we do sell gloves and nobody is ordering more than a few boxes of those, either.