Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
PPE Supply Shortages: FDA Makes List Of What Might Run Out
The Hill: FDA Creates First-Ever Medical Supply Shortage List Including Masks, Swabs And Ventilators
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Friday that it has created its first list of medical supplies that are facing a shortage just hours after President Trump touted the administration's production of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other devices. In an effort to prevent stockpiling or hoarding of supplies, the list does not reveal the product manufacturers, but lists that ventilators, respirators, masks, surgical gowns, gloves and sterile swabs are on short supply. (Seipel, 8/14)
Kaiser Health News: PPE Shortage Could Last Years Without Strategic Plan, Experts Warn
Shortages of personal protective equipment and medical supplies could persist for years without strategic government intervention, officials from health care and manufacturing industries have predicted. Officials said logistical challenges continue seven months after the coronavirus reached the United States, as the flu season approaches and as some state emergency management agencies prepare for a fall surge in COVID-19 cases. (Glenza, 8/17)
Kaiser Health News and The Guardian: Lost On The Frontline: Explore The Interactive Database
Hundreds of U.S. health care workers have died fighting COVID-19. We count them and investigate why.
Politico: Health Providers' Scramble For Staff And Supplies Reveals Sharp Disparities
Doctors, nurses and caregivers at smaller and poorer hospitals and medical facilities across the country are still struggling to obtain the protective gear, personnel and resources they need to fight the coronavirus despite President Donald Trump's repeated assertions that the problems are solved. Health care workers at all types of facilities scrambled for scarce masks, gloves and other life-protecting gear at the beginning of the pandemic. The White House was letting states wage bidding wars against one another, rather than establish a central national manufacturing, supply and distribution chain. (Doherty, 8/14)
The Hill: Las Vegas Hospital Workers Call For Probe Into Conditions During Pandemic
Hospital workers in Las Vegas are calling on Nevada health officials to investigate claims of unsafe working conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic. The workers, who are members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), say that HCA Healthcare hospitals they work in are understaffed to serve the volume of patients and that they lack sufficient personal protective equipment such as gloves, masks and face shields. (Johnson, 8/15)
In related news —
GMA: Antiviral Clothing Is On The Rise: Can It Protect You From COVID-19?
The coronavirus pandemic has affected every aspect of life -- including fashion. To cater to new economic realities and the COVID-19 concerns of their clientele, several apparel companies have developed antivirus protection in their clothing. But if antiviral clothing doesn't make a difference in actual viral transmission -- shoppers should question, "is it even worth it?" (Yates, 8/17)
Bangor Daily News: Guilford Textile Mill Shifts From Furniture Production To Clothing For Health Care Workers
The spread of COVID-19 this spring prodded a Guilford textile mill to act quickly for its own fiscal health. Duvaltex shifted production priorities from furniture textiles to a range of advanced technical fabrics designed to meet the clothing needs of front-line health care workers as they battle the pandemic. Serving the health care industry isn’t new for Duvaltex, which for the last 20 years has created fabric for cubicle curtains that, among other uses, serve as privacy dividers between hospital beds. (Clark, 8/16)
Boston Globe: This East Boston Factory Supplied Navy Peacoats. Now It’s Making PPE
The Greater Boston Labor Council has been seeking to support both a locally owned business and workers through the crisis. The Sterlingwear factory now has a contract with the City of Boston to make medical-grade gowns for first responders and health care workers. The city has already paid $39,000 for 6,000 gowns, according to a copy of a contract provided to the Globe, and a city spokesperson said an additional contract will cover the cost of making 150,000 gowns through June 2021. (Nanos, 8/16)
