Since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, health care systems across the US have reported substantial personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, compromising their ability to keep health care professionals safe while treating increasing numbers of patients.
The World Health Organization has warned that severe and mounting disruption to the global supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) – caused by rising demand, panic buying, hoarding and misuse – is putting lives at risk from the new coronavirus and other infectious diseases.
The FDA is aware that as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to expand globally, the supply chain for these devices will continue to be stressed if demand exceeds available supplies.
The greatly increased need for PPE caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has caused PPE shortages, posing a tremendous challenge to the U.S. healthcare system. Healthcare facilities are having difficulty accessing the needed PPE and are having to identify alternate ways to provide patient care.
Doctors and nurses are now crying out for masks and other personal protective equipment as they’re forced to wear bandanas and scarves for masks, trash bags for gowns, and reuse all sorts of medical equipment – heightening the risk of coronavirus infection and possibly death as we all rely on these health care workers now […]
