Here?s why Florida got all the emergency medical supplies it requested while other states did not
https://ctmirror.org/2020/03/20/her...lies-it-requested-while-other-states-did-not/
Other states had only tiny slivers of their requests fulfilled, including some that had asked for them earlier than Florida. Oregon and Oklahoma received only about 10%; New Jersey got less than 6%.
Officials fear that hospitals will be overwhelmed by far more patients than they can safely treat if the current pace of infections continues. This month, officials estimated that if the outbreak lasts a year, the U.S. could need 3.5 billion of the N95 masks that protect health care workers. The national stockpile had only 12 million N95 masks and 30 million surgical masks on hand when the crisis began.
While it may appear like the federal government is playing favorites, federal officials said their decisions were based on their best assessment of relative needs. HHS told states this week that it is giving out 25% of the stockpile to states according to population size, and sending another 25% strategically to states with the most severe outbreaks, which can be used for needs such as testing passengers on cruise ships brought back to shore. The remaining 50% will be held in ?strategic reserve,? to be used if there?s a huge spike of critical needs around the country.
Connecticut?s all-Democratic congressional delegation, led by Sen. Chris Murphy, sent a letter to Health and Human Services officials Thursday insisting Gov. Ned Lamont?s request from the National Strategic Stockpile, a supply of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies for use in a public health emergency severe enough to cause local supplies to run out.
To date, Lamont has only received a partial shipment of the medical supplies he has requested from the stockpile.
Connecticut?s lawmakers said the rest of the governor?s request must be filled ?to avoid exacerbating this public health emergency.?
?We ask that you provide 250,000 of each of the following: N95 Respirator Face Masks, surgical masks, surgical gowns, non-sterile gloves, and disposable face shields, and quickly address any supplemental requests for additional items such as swabs, thermometers, or other supplies that may become critical to the state?s response,? the lawmakers wrote.
?Ana Radelat | CTMirror.org
The inability of the United States to deploy widespread testing for the coronavirus has further complicated how the supplies are being apportioned because health officials do not have a complete picture of where the virus is circulating most widely. But many states, worried that their case counts are about to soar and their hospitals will be swamped, have been unsatisfied with their allotment.
The system appears to roughly conform to states? populations, rather than the size of their requests. Florida, a state of 21 million, got all 180,000 N95 masks it wanted. Oregon, a state of 4 million, only received 40,000 of the 400,000 masks it requested, and New Jersey, a state of 9 million, got 85,000 of the 2.9 million masks it feels it needs.
It is hard to assess what constitutes a reasonable request. All states are starting with different stockpiles of supplies. Some have been hit harder than others by the virus, and some anticipate they might be. Each state is trying to secure as much as possible for its health workers, who are raising alarms that they are running out of basic supplies.
This pandemic will require enormous amounts of personal protective equipment, or PPE, for health care workers in part because the symptoms of COVID-19 are not unusual ? it?s hard to quickly distinguish a COVID-19 patient from someone suffering from the flu. Anyone doctors suspect of being infected with the coronavirus needs to be treated with great care, lest the infection spread. Many items, like gloves and some types of masks, are designed to be used once then thrown away, but some hospitals and long-term care facilities are already experimenting with reusing their equipment to stretch their supplies.
?It?s very frustrating and very scary to hear the numbers,? said Kimberly Green-Yates, chief operating officer of Diakonos Group, which runs about 20 skilled nursing and long-term care facilities across Oklahoma. ?The people we take care of are the most vulnerable. Without PPE, we can?t keep them safe.?
Green-Yates said that as soon as her company heard about the deaths in Washington state in a nursing facility, Diakonos ordered a large supply of PPE and locked it away for emergencies. Some of the protective equipment, she said, was used up during this year?s flu season. ?If [the virus] gets in, our supply is going to be gone in days,? she explained. ?Then what do you do? ? We?re working our absolute hardest to keep our elders safe right now. And how are we supposed to do that if we don?t even have equipment??
In a statement to ProPublica, HHS acknowledged that the population-based distribution system means that allocations are ?likely less than what states are currently requesting,? but noted that ?jurisdictions are receiving 100% of their allocations? under the government?s formula.
The formula only applies to PPE, and not to ventilators, HHS said.
Florida, which has regular experience with hurricanes, isn?t waiting on the sidelines, despite having received its entire wishlist. On Monday, the state?s Division of Emergency Management made a second request, saying that it was still not sufficiently prepared to handle the looming pandemic; it asked for 2 million N95 masks, 500,000 gloves, 500,000 gowns and 250,000 coveralls. The division also asked for thousands of ventilators and hospital beds, as well five mobile intensive care units.
?The support we have received from the administration is woefully insufficient,? Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., told ProPublica. ?I wouldn?t call it complete radio silence from federal officials, but their communications are barely flickering. ? If our health workers, doctors and nurses especially, don?t have masks, or gloves, or cotton swabs, lives will be lost ? full stop.?
?The support we have received from the administration is woefully insufficient,? Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., told ProPublica. ?I wouldn?t call it complete radio silence from federal officials, but their communications are barely flickering. ? If our health workers, doctors and nurses especially, don?t have masks, or gloves, or cotton swabs, lives will be lost ? full stop.?
