Of all the coronavirus-induced problems facing America, face masks shortage might be the most baffling. Masks are hard to find that health-care workers are reusing theirs multiple days in a row. Grocery-store workers, who are at high risk of contracting the virus, have been denied masks for months. Everyday people are making their own out of fabric scraps.
One reason the U.S. ran short of face masks is that many mask manufacturers are in China. The country slowed mask manufacturing and stopped shipping them to the U.S during its own coronavirus. But America was supposed to have its own supply of masks in the Strategic National Stockpile. As of April 1, it was almost out.
Serious consequences
Health care professionals say that they have a shortage of face masks and other PPE for medical staff. In this environment, health care workers worry they might get sick. Privately, some say they may not be able to show up to work at all under these conditions. The situation not only threatens health care workers’ well-being. It could limit US health care capacity even as experts warn we need to scale up to confront the rise in coronavirus cases. And in hospitals, the lack of preparedness translates to a shortage of face masks, isolation gowns, and other PPE, among other problems. As health care facilities expect beds to overflow in the next few weeks of the pandemic. The shortage threatens to undermine how many healthcare worker will be there to treat patients. More people could die as a result.
The government should prepare for this.
Many years ago, government officials ran simulations and exercises to see what would happen in case of a big outbreak. One of those simulations held by the federal government covered a pandemic that looked a lot like the coronavirus now. A respiratory virus started in China and made its way to the US and the rest of the world. Then, the Obama administration attempted to scale up preparedness by establishing a White House office dedicated solely to the issue. The Trump administration, however, neglected and rolled back these efforts. That why they don not prepare enough face masks and PPE during coronavirus.
Some solutions
Some health systems were improvising solutions. Providence St. Joseph Health began assembling home-spun face masks and face shields with off-the-shelf supplies. It was recruiting volunteers with sewing machines on its website to pick up kits with materials at its headquarters in Renton, Washington. And they sew 100 masks at home. The project will expand to other areas from there, with the ultimate goal of making 100 million face masks, according to the website. The Centers for Disease Control has published guidance on how to conserve limited protective gear and what to do if it runs short. As a last resort, it says, homemade face masks may be used. “However, caution should be exercised when considering this option,” the agency said.
