Boxes of N95 protective masks for use by medical field personnel in New Rochelle, New York, March 17, 2020. (Mike Segar/Reuters)
HIT Consultant: Shortage of N95 Masks Top Concern for Hospitals with COVID-19 Patients
What You Should Know:
– Premier survey reveals as active COVID-19 spreads to new hotspots, hospitals should prepare for a 3X to 17X surge in supply-demand for personal protective equipment (PPE).
– Survey respondents treating COVID-19 patients say supply shortages and burn rates for PPE were among the biggest surprises and lessons learned.
– Hospitals ranked the supply of N95 respirators as their top concern with the average respondent had 23 days of N95 inventory on hand.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: This is why there is a shortage ....
.... active cases of COVID-19 create surge demand of 17X the typical burn rate for N95 respirators, 8.6X for face shields, 6X for swabs, 5X for isolation gowns and 3.3X for surgical masks.
About 80 percent of all PPE manufactured globally comes from Asia, where nations such as China, Taiwan, Thailand, India, and South Korea have all stopped exporting products, a situation expected to continue through for the unforeseen time, if not longer.
Update: This is going to make some people upset ....
Fact check: Did the Obama administration deplete the federal stockpile of N95 masks? (USA Today)
The George H.W. Bush Foundation has helped donate two million masks to China despite American healthcare workers approaching dire shortages of the vital equipment, and the American public now being advised to wear masks. (The National Pulse)
Now That Canada Is Rationing Masks, Trudeau Faces Backlash for Donating Medical Supplies to China (National Review)
