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With the demand imbalance comes a spike in prices; CBS reports that Amazon had sold out of several mask types, and those that remained were going for well over typical MSRP. A 10-pack of 3M N95 masks that usually retails for about $20 were being sold by some Amazon vendors for $75 to $100. Amazon said this week it would crack down on vendors trying to gouge consumers on prices. "We've seen isolated incidents across the store, and we identify them and quickly take action," a spokesperson told CBS.

The frenzy comes despite cautions from the Centers for Disease Control that ordinary people shouldn't even bother with face masks unless they're a health provider — who are more likely to encounter infected people — or are sick themselves. Regular surgical masks (as opposed to the N95 styles) aren't even thought to provide much protection against catching the virus, though they'd conceivably be helpful against spreading germs from infected people.