Rotting masks, busted ventilators in U.S. stockpile sent to states fighting coronavirus
For weeks, reports have warned the federal stockpile of limited emergency medical supplies wouldn’t be enough to get the U.S. through the coronavirus pandemic.
Now — as the Strategic National Stockpile dwindles — health officials across the country say they’ve received unusable masks and ventilators damaged by mold or broken with missing parts, media outlets report.
On March 28, the White House tweeted FEMA had sent out 11.6 million N95 respirators, 26 million surgical masks and 8,100 ventilators.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has maintained that “all of the ventilators shipped by the Federal Emergency Management Agency were ready to use,” the New York Times reported.
Officials in three states say otherwise.
California
Los Angeles “received 170 broken ventilators from the national stockpile,” Gov. Gavin Newsom announced through Twitter on March 28.
Instead of “pointing fingers” or “complaining,” Newsom said the damaged supplies were taken to San Jose-based Bloom Energy to be repaired, TIME reported.
The ventilators were expected to be back in LA on Monday, Newsom said on Twitter.
New York
A shipment of 4,000 ventilators delivered across the state of New York last week also contained broken pieces, Business Insider reported.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said half of the shipment was expected in New York City — home to one of the worst outbreaks in the U.S. with more than 48,000 cases as of April 2, according to city data.
At least two healthcare systems in the state reporting receiving ventilators with missing hoses or stands and damaged bacterial filters, according to Business Insider.
DHHS officials told the news outlet they were “unaware of any issues with ventilators provided to New York” and said all ventilators from the national stockpile “are in operating condition.”
The New York Times has since reported the contract to maintain the reserve lapsed last year and wasn’t taken over by a new firm until January. It’s not known if problems with the ventilators started before the contract lapsed, according to the Times, but maintenance during that time came to a standstill.
Alabama
Health officials in Montgomery County said they were provided 5,880 rotted masks from the national stockpile, AP News reported.
Emergency Management Director Christi Thornton told AP the procedure masks had dry rot.
They reportedly expired in 2010. A shipment to replace them arrived Wednesday.
This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 7:19 PM with the headline "Rotting masks, busted ventilators in U.S. stockpile sent to states fighting coronavirus."
