Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Sea Of Sleaze’: Rampant Fraud, Price Gouging Hamper Efforts To Get Health Workers Protective Gear
The Washington Post: Opportunists Benefit From The Chaotic Market For Coronavirus Protective Gear
Alexis Wong, a Hong Kong-based trader who’s been exporting medical masks since the early days of the covid-19 crisis, says the business brings out every species of crook. But she likes to joke that the market for the iconic N95 mask is in perfect balance. “You have buyers with no money and sellers with no product,” she says. The international market for desperately needed medical masks is riddled with fraud. Up and down the supply chain, from factories to hospitals, opportunists are benefiting from the chaotic market as prices have quintupled. (Butler, Eilperin and Hamburger, 5/18)
In other news on protective gear —
The Washington Post: How Far Would A Million N95 Masks Go? It’s Complicated, And This Is Why.
On April 2, the New England Patriots’ team plane left China with mundane but suddenly precious cargo: 1.2 million N95 respirators, a critical type of mask that protects health-care workers treating patients who have infectious diseases. Was that a big stash? In normal, pre-covid-19 times, the answer would be yes. Most hospitals buy just a few thousand N95s per year, according to a company that negotiates purchasing contracts. (Berkowitz, 5/18)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: More Than 200 Georgia Companies Have Helped On COVID-19 Supplies
LGG Corp. is one of 220 Georgia-based companies praised Monday by Gov. Brian Kemp for diverting part of their business operations to making or distributing personal protective equipment or health care supplies during the coronavirus pandemic. The state Department of Economic Development, which asked companies to explain how they could help, then assisted with converting their businesses, did not have existing relationships with many of the companies, said Commissioner Pat Wilson. Business owners volunteered their services and did so without the state’s financial help. (Peters, 5/18)
