Despite Repeated Calls To Replenish Supplies, A Shortage Exists Of Specialized Masks To Protect Medical Personnel
Limited funding forced emergency preparedness officials to focus on other supplies needed for the Strategic National Stockpile. In response, the CDC loosens its recommendations on masks. Also, a union representing airport workers is requesting better masks and Amazon tries to battle counterfeit coronavirus products.
The Washington Post:
Face Masks In National Stockpile Have Not Been Substantially Replenished Since 2009
The H1N1 influenza pandemic of 2009 triggered the largest deployment in U.S. history of the Strategic National Stockpile, the federal government’s last-resort cache of drugs and medical supplies. The stockpile distributed 85 million N95 respirators — fitted face masks that block most airborne particles — along with millions of other masks, gowns and gloves. The gear to protect medical personnel came from multibillion dollar emergency funding authorized by Congress in 2007 and 2009, leading to calls for the government to better prepare for the next outbreak. (Reinhard and Brown, 3/10)
The Washington Post:
CDC Says Surgical Masks Can Replace N95 Masks For Coronavirus Protection In Some Cases
A shortage of specialized masks has prompted federal health officials to loosen their recommendations on the face protection that front line health-care workers should use to prevent infection from the highly contagious disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Instead of recommending that health-care workers use specialized masks known as N95 respirators, which filter out about 95 percent of airborne particles, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted new guidelines Tuesday that said “the supply chain of respirators cannot meet demand” and that looser fitting surgical face masks “are an acceptable alternative." (Sun, 3/10)
Reuters:
To Limit Coronavirus Exposure, U.S. Airport Security Screeners Push For Better Masks
A union representing U.S. airport security screeners is urging the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to supply more effective masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus, union leadership told Reuters on Tuesday. The union, the AFGE TSA Council 100, which represents about 45,000 transportation security officers at airports across the United States, sent an email on Tuesday morning to TSA Administrator David Pekoske calling on the agency to provide the masks to workers. The email has not been previously reported. (Hesson, 3/11)
The Wall Street Journal:
Amazon Battles Counterfeit Masks, $400 Hand Sanitizer Amid Virus Panic
As the coronavirus outbreak expanded across the globe, anxious shoppers turned to Amazon.com Inc. for face masks, hand sanitizer and other products promising to help protect against the virus. The problem: Many didn’t have federal certifications for the safety standards they were touting, some were counterfeit or deceptively labeled, and others were being sold at many times their usual prices. More than 100 safety masks and respirators on Amazon were counterfeit or had unverifiable protection and certification claims, a Wall Street Journal investigation found. (Berzon and Hernandez, 3/11)
