Democrats and Republicans across the country say they’re desperately trying to acquire masks, gloves and ventilators for the most at-risk health care workers in their districts — a crisis that, for now, can’t be solved with simply more cash.
The Michigan Republican said he’s been surveying hospitals and health centers in his district about their supply of the masks: “The average right now for N95s is a four-day supply.”
One community health center in the Queens district had to start furloughing their health care workers after the number of staffers testing positive for coronavirus tripled in recent days due to a lack of proper protective equipment.
Republicans and Democrats did agree to include $100 billion in the latest relief package to help shore up supplies for hospitals. Unfortunately those dollars are slow to disperse and hospitals are taking extreme measures like sanitizing masks by baking them in an oven or pleading for donations from other industries like construction or dentistry.
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