Two-thirds of Michigan health systems are reporting less than a three-week supply of one or more types of personal protective equipment as COVID-19 cases surge, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Jeff Wagner, supply chain manager for MidMichigan Health in Midland told the Journal his system has enough N95 masks for a few weeks and they are storing them in a vacant store. The system's physicians and nurses are reusing masks with a decontamination system to make its supply last longer as it is facing its highest number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients to date.
"We would really like to beef up our stockpiles, but volume is high for everyone, so you can’t," Mr. Wagner told the Journal. "The N95s are really the most challenging."
Some Michigan hospitals are reporting less than seven days worth of supplies, the Journal reported.
New Mexico also said last week that nearly 90 percent of its hospitals were reusing N95 masks as cases have risen in recent weeks. Wyoming's health department said its hospitals may revert to emergency reuse of N95 masks if the number of hospitalizations continues to rise, the Journal reported.
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