Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Federal Government's N95 Mask Stockpile Is Nearly Depleted; Critics See Trump's Colo. Ventilator Decision Influenced By Political Tensions
The Associated Press: HHS: Federal Stocks Of Protective Equipment Nearly Depleted
The Strategic National Stockpile is nearly out of the N95 respirators, surgical masks, face, shields, gowns and other medical supplies desperately needed to protect front-line medical workers treating coronavirus patients. The Department of Health and Human Services told the Associated Press Wednesday that the federal stockpile was in the process of deploying all remaining personal protective equipment in its inventory. The HHS statement confirms federal documents released Wednesday by the House Oversight and Reform Committee showing that about 90% of the personal protective equipment in the stockpile has been distributed to state and local governments. (Biesecker, 4/9)
Los Angeles Times: States With Small Coronavirus Outbreaks Get Disproportionate Shares Of Federal Supplies
The distribution of scarce medical equipment has emerged as a key point of controversy in the administration’s response, as states have been left to scramble on their own to get what they need. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services have refused to divulge details of what equipment was going to what states. Government officials told The Times that FEMA and HHS considered the populations of states and major metropolitan areas as well as the severity of the coronavirus outbreak in determining how to allocate supplies. (Levey and Wilber, 4/8)
The Wall Street Journal: U.S. To Restrict Mask, Glove Exports For Four Months During Coronavirus Pandemic
The Trump administration is planning to restrict for four months the export of certain face masks and gloves designed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus as the demand for personal protective equipment soars in the U.S. along with the number of cases. Under the temporary regulation, unveiled Wednesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will have to grant explicit approval for exports of the masks and gloves, with certain exceptions. The restriction shows that the U.S. is seeking to keep personal protective equipment, or PPE, available to U.S. citizens despite existing private contracts and international trade rules designed to protect global supply chains. (Mauldin, 4/8)
Colorado Public Radio: After Feds Grab Colorado Order Of 500 Ventilators, Trump Tweets State Will Get 100 From Stockpile
Colorado will be getting 100 ventilators “immediately” from the federal government, according to a tweet from President Donald Trump. He said it was at the request of fellow Republican, Sen. Cory Gardner. Appropriately in the age of Trump, Gardner tweeted back his thanks. The state has been on the hunt for ventilators for weeks. Gardner told Fox News that he brought up the issue with Trump during a Tuesday night phone call. “We’re going to continue to work with the president for more and continue to meet Colorado’s needs. But I think it’s just a sign that we are making sure we’re fighting for Colorado, we’re standing up for all of our states in this COVID-19 response,” he said in the interview. (Kim, 4/8)
NPR: Critical Medical Supplies Need Approval Before Being Exported From The U.S.
The White House and FEMA have faced fierce criticism from some governors and others for not doing more, faster to get critical supplies into the hands of frontline medical workers. In a statement, CBP said the agencies are "working together to prevent domestic brokers, distributors, and other intermediaries from diverting these critical medical resources overseas." (Westervelt, 4/8)
CNN: Colorado Democrat Believes Trump Awarded Ventilators As Political Favor To Vulnerable GOP Senator
Rep. Diana DeGette, a veteran Democrat, said that President Donald Trump's announcement that he would send 100 ventilators to Colorado smacks of a political favor to vulnerable GOP Sen. Cory Gardner after the federal government had not fulfilled the delegation's request for the devices. "I think this thing that happened with Sen. Gardner and President Trump is very disturbing," the Colorado Democrat told CNN Wednesday evening. "What is the process here?" DeGette said that while she wants the state to get every ventilator it can -- after initially requesting 10,000 -- the process employed by the White House shows that the President appears to be doling out the ventilators to his allies at a time when the virus is affecting people of all political persuasions. (Raju, 4/8)
Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus: California Counties Scramble For Ventilators
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to lend 500 state-owned ventilators to New York and other coronavirus hot spots outside California has caught some local officials in his own state off guard as they scramble to acquire the much-needed medical equipment, particularly in Riverside County. Riverside County officials said the state recently denied their request for an additional 500 ventilators, even though the county expects demand for the breathing machines at county hospitals and medical centers to exceed the supply in less than three weeks. (Willon and Shalby, 4/8)
ProPublica: A Company Promised Cheap Ventilators To The Government, Never Delivered And Is Now Charging Quadruple The Price For New Ones
The Dutch company that received millions of taxpayer dollars to develop an affordable ventilator for pandemics, but never delivered them, has struck a much more lucrative deal with the federal government to make 43,000 ventilators at four times the price. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that it plans to pay Royal Philips N.V. $646.7 million for the new ventilators — paying more than $15,000 each. The first 2,500 units are to arrive before the end of May, HHS said, and the rest by the end of December. (Callahan and Rotella, 4/8)
The Wall Street Journal: As Coronavirus Peaks, New York City’s Hospitals Prepare ‘Live Or Die’ Guidance
A surge in critically ill patients in New York City is forcing major hospitals to make worst-case scenario plans for who will live and die, as the coronavirus peaks and stretches emergency supplies. Some hospitals and state health leaders have drawn up guidelines for which patients get ventilators should hospitals run short, according to interviews with hospital officials and memos viewed by The Wall Street Journal. (Adamy, Evans and Palazzolo, 4/8)
Modern Healthcare: Alabama Agrees To End Ventilator Rationing Guidelines
Alabama agreed to eliminate its ventilator rationing guidelines after HHS' Office for Civil Rights found that they could result in patient discrimination based on age or disability, OCR said Wednesday. Following a complaint from the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program and The Arc of the United States, the agency investigated and found concerns that the state's 2010 criteria for ventilator triage might discriminate against older adults and people with intellectual disabilities. (Brady, 4/8)
Los Angeles Times: With Ventilators In Short Supply, Here Are Some Alternatives
With the coronavirus still spreading and cases of COVID-19 still mounting, mechanical ventilators are in notoriously short supply. That has physicians scrambling to find alternatives for patients so weakened by the respiratory disease that they can no longer breathe without assistance. It won’t be easy. The modern mechanical ventilator has been a workhorse in hospital intensive care units since the 1950s, when better breathing assistance was needed for the most stricken polio patients. (Healy, 4/8)
