While the world is struggling to fight coronavirus (COVID), hospital personnel are struggling with the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)-- it includes medical masks, gloves, face shields, and gowns.
A warehouse worker prepares donated medical equipment to be shipped at the Afya Warehouse, a non-profit medical supply recovery organization, during the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Yonkers, New York, U.S. March 25, 2020.
A commercial plane has just reached New York, carrying 80 tons of PPE to help those in need!
The PPE shortage
According to an internal medical resident located in New York City, "It's a citywide shortage," continuing with "We underestimated the effects of the pandemic, and now we are overwhelmed."
Just recently, a number of grassroots organizations have created #GETUSPPE headed by Harvard Medical School resident physician Dr. Shuhan He in hopes of getting the necessary equipment needed by the health care workers. As of Saturday, Mar. 21, the United States confirms 118,451 COVDI-19 cases, as well as 1,978 deaths. A report on the shortage of PPE has been shared by several states.
There is another existing GoFundMe called "A Million Masks" which was started by a group of friends located in New York headed by Ben Wei saying that they have already raised $386,681 and have delivered 6,000 KN95 masks to about 10 New York hospitals while waiting for an additional 30,000 more KN95 masks to be delivered.
The good news
In a recent turn of events, a commercial aircraft was reported to have been carrying about 80 tons of gloves, masks, and other PPE from Shanghai that has recently touched down in New York! This is one of the first 22 scheduled flights which the White House officials say will bring the much-needed goods.
According to Lizzie Litzow, a spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the plane has just delivered an amount of 130,000 N95 masks as well as 1.8 million face masks and gowns, 10 million gloves, and about thousands of thermometers to be distributed around New York, New Jersey, and also Connecticut.
Ms. Litzow also announced that there would be flights arriving in Chicago this coming Monday and Ohio on Tuesday, Mar. 31, bringing the supplies to be distributed. The Department of Health and Human Services has also estimated that there will be a needed 3.5 billion masks should the pandemic last a year in the United States.
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According to the acting chairman of greater China for APCO Worldwide James McGregor, China has abundant protective equipment now, and the rest of the world has a huge shortage," due to the newly built factories which are churning out supplies even despite China's own epidemic declines.
Jack Ma's contribution
The co-founder of Alibaba and popular Chinese billionaire Jack Ma is giving one million masks, as well as 500,000 test kits to the U.S. Even The Committee of 100 which is a leadership organization of Americans who come from China has been able to raise $1 million in order to buy medical supplies and protective gear coming from around the world.
According to the chairman of the Himalaya Capital Management by the name of Li Lu, "China has the capacity now, and the U.S. has a huge need," continuing his statement with "We've got to fight together."
