Bird flu: Are grocery stores impacted by the virus?
PHOENIX - It appears there are plenty of eggs to go around despite the bird flu running rampant through some poultry farms in Arizona, and the nation.
A week ago, it was a different story as some shoppers had a difficult time getting their hands on eggs.
"I know that I can't really find eggs anywhere when I try to look for them," a shopper named Roberto Vargas said on Dec. 30. "Maybe two or three days ago, I went to three grocery stores. I couldn't find any eggs at all."
Those who found eggs were paying more than usual for a dozen.
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"I think they were $8.17," Hayden Hughes said.
"They were $12. Even now, they're $10 depending on the type of egg that you want," Josephine Torrez said.
This week, prices have gone down, but not as low as some would like.
"I didn't buy them today because I think the cheapest were five something," Ron Dorro said.
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"I used to go to though like two of the big dozens of 'em, but, yeah, but this year I cut back a little bit. So, I probably did half of that," Pamela Schirmer said.
Bashas' Grocery store posted a note next to its eggs addressing the continued challenge with the egg supply. It said over the past few months, 28 million egg-laying birds have been affected by the bird flu.
They also point out that extra-large or jumbo eggs are harder to come by.
"You can obviously see it's a smaller egg," a customer named Glenn Freeman said.
Some shoppers aren't too worried about bird flu.
"As long as you prepare your food properly, cook it to the right temperature, always wash your hands. That's going to limit the spread of the virus," a shopper named Colton Ladwag said.
Others explained why they're very concerned.
"My husband almost died with COVID, so this is something a little more, you know, aside from all the other things that elderly people have. Now, we have one more thing that might … people might get sick with. It just gets to be a little hard," Torrez said.
There have been no reports of people infected with bird flu in Maricopa County. However, the CDC is working to confirm two human cases in Pinal County involving a poultry farm.
Cases were also found in animals at the World Wildlife zoo, a backyard flock of birds, and a farm in Pinal County.
You can click here for the most up-to-date information about the bird flu, its spread and how to take cautionary measures.