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Hospitals fighting coronavirus are sent DEFECTIVE medical supplies from federal stockpiles including thousands of face masks with dry rot and 170 broken ventilators
PUBLISHED: 03:19 EDT, 4 April 2020 | UPDATED: 08:37 EDT, 4 April 2020
Hospitals on the front line of the battle against coronavirus have been sent defective medical supplies including rotten and unusable face masks and out-of-service ventilators.
State governors have slammed the condition of the supply inventory available in the Strategic National Stockpile.
Close to 6,000 masks that were sent to Montgomery, Alabama were reportedly dry rotted and had 2010 expiration dates. Officials sent those masks back to the stockpile to be replaced.
And California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted that Los Angeles had recently received around 170 broken ventilators from a national stockpile that it needed send out to be repaired.
Dr. Don Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association said he was swamped with emails from hospitals in the state. They were complaining about dry rot that ate into the rubber straps used to fasten N95 masks to a person's face.
Oregon officials said they received masks with flimsy elastic that could snap the straps, allowing medical professions to be infected.
California Governor Gavin Newsom says Los Angeles received 170 ventilators that were working when they came in from the Strategic National Stockpile
'Several of the shipments we have received from the Strategic National Stockpile contained (personal protective equipment) well past expiration dates and, while we are being told much of the expired equipment is capable of being used for COVID-19 response, they would not be suitable for use in surgical settings,' said Charles Boyle, a spokesman for Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.
Boyle said some of the equipment was bought more than 10 years ago for the H1N1 outbreak. Other products has been recalled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
'It's really alarming because those masks are desperately needed,' said U.S. Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama. 'When our national stockpile is not monitored enough to know that you've got expired masks and rotted masks out there and not replenished, that is a real problem.'
Governor Newsom vows to fix broken ventilators for LA in one day
The CDC warned states that some of the inventory of the stockpile could be out of date but that they had opened access to it 'due to the potential urgent demand caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency.'
The congressional delegation from New Hampshire pointed out to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services their received expired supplies. They also complained that more than 16,000 gloves the state received were not usable for medical purposes because they contained latex that could trigger allergies.
The problem has gotten so bad, Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado on Friday asked for an investigation into the supply and distribution of ventilators in the stockpile.
- Governors around the country are complaining about the condition of the supply inventory in the Strategic National Stockpile
- California Governor Gavin Newsom said Los Angeles recently received about 170 broken ventilators from a national stockpile that needed to be repaired
- Nearly 6,000 masks that were sent to Montgomery, Alabama had dry rot and 2010 expiration dates, requiring them to be sent back to the stockpile
- Oregon received masks with flimsy elastic straps that could snap, allowing doctors and nurses to be infected
- The CDC warned states that some of the inventory could be out of date
PUBLISHED: 03:19 EDT, 4 April 2020 | UPDATED: 08:37 EDT, 4 April 2020
Hospitals on the front line of the battle against coronavirus have been sent defective medical supplies including rotten and unusable face masks and out-of-service ventilators.
State governors have slammed the condition of the supply inventory available in the Strategic National Stockpile.
Close to 6,000 masks that were sent to Montgomery, Alabama were reportedly dry rotted and had 2010 expiration dates. Officials sent those masks back to the stockpile to be replaced.
And California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted that Los Angeles had recently received around 170 broken ventilators from a national stockpile that it needed send out to be repaired.
Dr. Don Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association said he was swamped with emails from hospitals in the state. They were complaining about dry rot that ate into the rubber straps used to fasten N95 masks to a person's face.
Oregon officials said they received masks with flimsy elastic that could snap the straps, allowing medical professions to be infected.
California Governor Gavin Newsom says Los Angeles received 170 ventilators that were working when they came in from the Strategic National Stockpile
'Several of the shipments we have received from the Strategic National Stockpile contained (personal protective equipment) well past expiration dates and, while we are being told much of the expired equipment is capable of being used for COVID-19 response, they would not be suitable for use in surgical settings,' said Charles Boyle, a spokesman for Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.
Boyle said some of the equipment was bought more than 10 years ago for the H1N1 outbreak. Other products has been recalled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
'It's really alarming because those masks are desperately needed,' said U.S. Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama. 'When our national stockpile is not monitored enough to know that you've got expired masks and rotted masks out there and not replenished, that is a real problem.'
Governor Newsom vows to fix broken ventilators for LA in one day
The CDC warned states that some of the inventory of the stockpile could be out of date but that they had opened access to it 'due to the potential urgent demand caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency.'
The congressional delegation from New Hampshire pointed out to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services their received expired supplies. They also complained that more than 16,000 gloves the state received were not usable for medical purposes because they contained latex that could trigger allergies.
The problem has gotten so bad, Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado on Friday asked for an investigation into the supply and distribution of ventilators in the stockpile.
