The Virus-Fueled Run on Zinc Pills Can’t Save Metal from Rout

(Bloomberg) -- Consumer anxiety over the coronavirus outbreak is spurring a surge in retail demand for zinc supplements.

Most of the zinc lozenges on Vitamin Shoppe’s website, for example, are out of stock. Retail demand has surged as distributors market the product as a defense against coronavirus. Even the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has acknowledged that the micronutrient can boost immune systems and help people resist infectious diseases.

But the run on zinc hasn’t been enough to save the metal from its worst start to a year in more than a decade, with prices plunging 19% in 2020.

That’s because most zinc is used in other applications. About three quarters goes to metals industries, mainly as a coating to protect iron and steel from corrosion, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Most of the rest is consumed by the rubber, chemical, paint and agricultural industries.

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