Prognosis
Nurses’ Pleas Spur U.S. Pledge to Tap 44 Million-Mask Stockpile
- Admiral is devising distribution plans, but the need is now
- In replay of the spring, states compete for gear once again
Medical workers treat a patient in the Covid-19 ICU at a hospital in Houston, Texas on July 28.
Photographer: Go Nakamura/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Hospitals and medical offices are once again running short on masks and gowns in the midst of a raging pandemic, but the federal government is still drawing up plans to distribute its swelling stockpile.
Federal officials have 44 million N95 masks in warehouses and more than a half billion on order, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They’ve also purchased at least 4.6 billion gloves, 6.7 million goggles and 4.8 million face shields. While officials decide how to distribute the supplies, hospitals and nursing homes are again scrounging gear, struggling with soaring prices and dealing with shady vendors.