Facing a dire shortage of protective masks, gowns and face shields as the coronavirus crisis intensifies, frontline healthcare workers are turning to social media in a desperate plea for supplies.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump shrugged off responsibility for the shortages, saying it is up to individual states to make sure they are well stocked.
Meanwhile, the CDC has suggested that healthcare workers use bandanas and scarves, despite a lack of evidence that they provide protection against the coronavirus.
On Friday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the Trump administration is no longer responding to his requests for supplies. “The federal government doesn't even exist at this moment,” de Blasio said.
The New York Times reports: As hospital supplies have dwindled, the vice president has called on construction companies to donate masks, the surgeon general has urged the public to stop buying them, and experts have warned that, the more doctors and nurses who get sick, the greater strain on a system already stretched thin. Now, doctors, nurses and others are rallying on social media with the hashtag #GetMePPE, referring to personal protective equipment like masks, gowns and face shields, to put pressure on elected leaders to get them more gear to guard against infection. Some suggested that members of the public reach out to a nearby hospital if they had masks or other medical equipment to donate.
