An internal government watchdog has uncovered a “severe” shortage in coronavirus supplies, including testing kits, as the United States braces for what is expected to be a grim week.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General Ann Maxwell released a 41-page report on Monday that details multiple types of shortages plaguing hospitals nationwide.
The report’s “national snapshot” — based on interviews conducted from March 23 and March 27 with medical personal at 323 hospitals across 46 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. — details the widespread problems many frontline medical professionals are facing.
“To secure the necessary PPE, equipment, and supplies, hospitals reported turning to new, sometimes un-vetted, and non-traditional sources of supplies and medical equipment. To try to make existing supplies of PPE last, hospitals reported conserving and reusing single-use/disposable PPE, including using or exploring ultra-violet sterilization of masks or bypassing some sanitation processes by having staff place surgical masks over N95 masks.”
Hospitals have also expressed concerns about restocking citing the “lack of a robust supply chain as delaying or preventing them from restocking the PPE needed to protect staff.”
Hospital administrators have also “expressed uncertainty about [the] availability of PPE from federal and state sources” and observed “sharp increases in prices for PPE from some vendors,” according to the report.
The shortage has also reportedly led to some medical staff “turning to non-medical-grade PPE, such as construction masks or handmade masks and gowns, which they worried may put staff at risk.”
Shortly after the report was released, Admiral Brett P. Giroir — assistant secretary for Health and medical doctor who serves as a member of the White House coronavirus task force — appeared on “The Today Show” with Savannah Guthrie.
Check out the interview
Why is there a severe shortage in testing kits at hospitals, and how do you rectify that? @savannahguthrie asks @HHS_ASH pic.twitter.com/bP90I2wGrX
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) April 6, 2020
Giroir — who Guthrie described as the testing “czar” — was asked about the shortages and what could be done to rectify the shortage. (0:15)
Part of the report reads:
“Another hospital noted that it wanted to set up a separate testing clinic to keep potentially infectious patients from exposing staff, but it did not have enough testing kits and/or related components and supplies to set up such a clinic.”
The medical doctor noted that more than 1.67 million tests have been conducted and the task force is currently ramping up tests.
The latest news follows a string of reports about the White House coronavirus task force’s response efforts.
Over the last two weeks, multiple governors have expressed concerns about shortages. Coronavirus testing kits, N95 masks, and personal protection equipment (PPE) are among the items asked for.
There are more than 347,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S., as of Monday afternoon.
