AP: US medical supply chains failed, and COVID deaths followed. “The Associated Press and ‘FRONTLINE’ launched a seven-month investigation — filing Freedom of Information Act requests, testing medical masks, interviewing dozens of experts from hard-hit hospitals to the White House — to understand what was behind these critical shortages. Medical supply chains that span oceans and continents are the fragile lifelines between raw materials and manufacturers overseas, and health care workers on COVID-19 front lines in the U.S. As link after link broke, the system fell apart.”
medical equipment
Business Insider: Jared Kushner made a deal with Russia for ventilators during the COVID-19 crisis, but every single machine was faulty, report says
Business Insider: Jared Kushner made a deal with Russia for ventilators during the COVID-19 crisis, but every single machine was faulty, report says. “Jared Kushner brokered a deal with Russia for 45 ventilators to be brought to the US to help with the coronavirus crisis, but they all turned out to be faulty, a new report says. Two senior Trump administration officials told The Daily Beast that Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and one of his senior advisers, helped to secure an equipment order that included the ventilators.”
Kaiser Health News: As Georgia Reopened, Officials Knew of Severe Shortage of PPE for Health Workers
Kaiser Health News: As Georgia Reopened, Officials Knew of Severe Shortage of PPE for Health Workers. “As the coronavirus crisis deepened in April, Georgia officials circulated documents showing that to get through the next month, the state would need millions more masks, gowns and other supplies than it had on hand. The projections, obtained by KHN and other organizations in response to public records requests, provide one of the clearest pictures of the severe PPE deficits states confronted while thousands fell ill from rising COVID-19 cases, putting health workers at risk.”
Politico: Masks, surgical gowns, testing supplies on FDA shortage list
Politico: Masks, surgical gowns, testing supplies on FDA shortage list. “Surgical gowns, gloves, masks, certain ventilators and various testing supplies needed to respond to the coronavirus pandemic are on the FDA’s first-ever list of medical devices in shortage. The agency is not disclosing who makes any of the devices on the list, which it released [August 14], because that ‘will adversely affect the public health by increasing the potential for hoarding or other disruptions.’ Instead, the agency has released the product codes of devices in shortage.”
RTE: IEA launches database of companies producing PPE
RTE: IEA launches database of companies producing PPE. “The Irish Exporters Association has launched a database of companies producing personal protective equipment. The initiative is led by the Chair of the IEA’s Western Regional Network Group, Dr John Carr.”
The Hill: House Democrats find Trump officials overpaid for ventilators by as much as $500 million
The Hill: House Democrats find Trump officials overpaid for ventilators by as much as $500 million. “A report from Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee released Friday finds that the Trump administration overpaid by as much as $500 million for ventilators and was slow to respond to an offer to accelerate shipments in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak. The report finds that the Trump administration paid the manufacturer Philips $15,000 per ventilator, more than any other American purchaser. Some purchasers buying as few as just one ventilator negotiated prices down to as low as $9,327 per ventilator, the report said.”
CNET: Fauci says wearing face shield, goggles could help protect against coronavirus
CNET: Fauci says wearing face shield, goggles could help protect against coronavirus. “Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nation’s top infections-disease experts, said Wednesday that Americans should consider wearing goggles or a face shield to further help protect themselves amid the coronavirus pandemic.”
ABC News: Despite Trump claim, 13 states say some orders for coronavirus supplies still unfilled
ABC News: Despite Trump claim, 13 states say some orders for coronavirus supplies still unfilled. “During his first coronavirus press briefing in nearly three months, President Donald Trump said his administration had filled every single request it has received from the nation’s governors for supplies to battle the coronavirus. But contrary to Trump’s claim, officials in 13 states told ABC News they still have requests pending for critical equipment as the virus spreads through much of the country.”
‘It’s Like Groundhog Day’: Coronavirus Testing Labs Again Lack Key Supplies (New York Times)
New York Times: ‘It’s Like Groundhog Day’: Coronavirus Testing Labs Again Lack Key Supplies. “Labs across the country are facing backlogs in coronavirus testing thanks in part to a shortage of tiny pieces of tapered plastic. Researchers need these little disposables, called pipette tips, to quickly and precisely move liquid between vials as they process the tests. As the number of known coronavirus cases in the United States passes 4 million, these new shortages of pipette tips and other lab supplies are once again stymieing efforts to track and curb the spread of disease. Some people are waiting days or even weeks for results, and labs are vying for crucial materials.”
OCCRP: Middle East/North African Authorities Seize Fake Medical Products
OCCRP: Middle East/North African Authorities Seize Fake Medical Products. “Between February and April, authorities from Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Qatar and Saudi Arabia carried out inspections on their land, water and air borders, targeting pharmaceutical crimes. This led to the seizure of 61,000 respiratory masks, 63,418 face masks and 85,000 other medical products such as gloves, thermometers, medical glasses, in addition to a variety of illicit medicine ranging from antimalarial drugs to sexual stimulants.”
New York Times: FEMA Sends Faulty Protective Gear to Nursing Homes Battling Virus
New York Times: FEMA Sends Faulty Protective Gear to Nursing Homes Battling Virus. “Nursing home employees across the country have been dismayed by what they’ve found when they’ve opened boxes of protective medical gear sent by the federal government, part of a $134 million effort to provide facilities a 14-day supply of equipment considered critical for shielding their vulnerable residents from the coronavirus. The shipments have included loose gloves of unknown provenance stuffed into unmarked Ziploc bags, surgical masks crafted from underwear fabric and plastic isolation gowns without openings for hands that require users to punch their fists through the closed sleeves. Adhesive tape must be used to secure them.”
New York Times: Virus Surge Brings Calls for Trump to Invoke Defense Production Act
New York Times: Virus Surge Brings Calls for Trump to Invoke Defense Production Act. “Experts, medical workers and elected officials are reviving their call for the Trump administration to ramp up its use of the Defense Production Act to secure critical medical supplies. In March, as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the United States and pressure from cities and states grew, President Trump used the act to press General Motors to begin production of ventilators. But four months later, frustrated by what they describe as a lack of federal leadership in the face of continued shortages, critics say the Trump administration is not wielding the act to the extent that it can and should.”
University of Alabama at Birmingham: How a ventilator works. And why you don’t want to need one.
University of Alabama at Birmingham: How a ventilator works. And why you don’t want to need one.. “‘First, we insert a tube through your mouth or nose directly into your trachea. This tube allows the machine to push air into your lungs and forces you to inhale. You can’t swallow, speak or cough. You might be sedated, if you are lucky. But you won’t be sedated the whole time.’ Those words come from Jerry King, RRT, an assistant professor in the School of Health Professions, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He teaches students at UAB how to use a ventilator.”
Washington Post: Maryland’s governor touts his purchase of tests from South Korea. Emails show a U.S. company offered tests at a lower price.
Washington Post: Maryland’s governor touts his purchase of tests from South Korea. Emails show a U.S. company offered tests at a lower price.. “As Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan negotiated receipt of 500,000 coronavirus tests from South Korea this spring, a domestic test distributor tried to sell the state a million or more federally authorized tests at less than two-thirds the price, according to emails between the distributor and a state health official.”
San Antonio Express-News: San Antonio-based Southwest Research Institute finds ‘counterfeit’ masks among hospital supplies of coronavirus gear
San Antonio Express-News: San Antonio-based Southwest Research Institute finds ‘counterfeit’ masks among hospital supplies of coronavirus gear. “More than two-thirds of KN95 respirator masks tested by Southwest Research Institute failed to meet U.S. filtration standards. KN95 masks are manufactured in China and look similar to the gold-standard N95 masks used by health care providers to protect against the contagious novel coronavirus. But KN95 masks sold in the United States have not gone through the same certification process as N95 masks.”