Imports of medical supplies plummet as demand in US soars

critical short of medical supplies across U.S., including testing swabs, protective masks, surgical gowns and hand sanitizer, can be tied to a sudden drop in imports, mostly from China, Associated Press has found.

Tre data shows decline in shipments started in mid-February after spiraling coronavirus outbreak in China led country to shutter factories and disrupted ports. Some emergency rooms, hospitals and clinics in U.S. have w run out of key medical supplies, while ors are rationing personal protective equipment like gloves and masks.

United States counts on receiving vast majority of its medical supplies from China, where coronavirus has infected more than 80,000 people and killed more than 3,200. When Chinese medical supply factories began coming back on line last month, ir first priority was ir own hospitals.

government required makers of N95 masks to sell all or part of ir production internally inste of shipping masks to U.S.

most recent delivery of medical-gre N95 masks arrived from China about a month ago, on Feb. 19. And as few as 13 shipments of n-medical N95 masks have arrived in past month — half as many as arrived same month last year. N95 masks are used in industrial settings, as well as hospitals, and filter out 95% of all airborne particles, including ones too tiny to be blocked by regular masks.

Goverrs across country are becoming panicked as states run out of equipment. President Donald Trump has urged m to buy masks on open market, but few if any are available.

“Without equate protection, more of our hospital staff could become ill, which would mean re wouldn’t be people to care for patients,” said Nancy Foster, American Hospital Association’s vice president of quality and patient safety policy.

Some hospitals are down to just a day or two of personal protective equipment, she said.

AP found that in past month, hand sanitizer and swab imports both dropped by 40%, N95 mask imports were down 55%, and surgical gowns, typically sourced from China, were at near rmal levels because sourcing was shifted to Honduras.

Typically, medical supplies are delivered along both coasts. But almost all supplies that did arrive in past month came into Newark, New Jersey, across country from earliest and most severe coronavirus outbreaks.

AP identified falling imports by looking at shipment data maintained by ImportGenius and Panjiva Inc., services that independently track global tre.

In mid-February, World Health Organization warned that global demand for safety gear for medical providers was 100 times higher than rmal. Prices were 20 times higher, stockpiles were depleted and re was a four- to six-month backlog. Despite this, federal contracting data shows re was big effort at that point to submit orders.

Tre policies haven't helped. Tariffs on medical supplies me m more expensive, and y were only lifted March 5, even though health care associations asked ministration last year to exempt items like masks, gloves and gowns. And w countries including South Korea, India and Taiwan are blocking exports of medical supplies to save m for ir own citizens, leaving U.S. with fewer options.

“ lag time could be weeks. It could be urd of months,” said Khatereh Calleja, CEO of Healthcare Supply Chain Association.

Doctors, nurses and first responders in U.S. are resorting to spraying ir masks with bleach at end of each day and hanging m up at home to dry to use for ar day, according to American College of Emergency Physicians.

“re is a little bit of anxiety, as you can imagine, going to work and t kwing if you will have eugh personal protective equipment,” said Dr. David Tan, president of National Association of EMS Physicians.

decline in swabs included multiple varieties, t just ones needed to test for COVID-19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has for weeks warned state and local health departments about shorts of swabs, which are needed for testing that is critical to containing pandemic.

Even over--counter medical shipments are decreasing. Ten shipping containers filled with medical rmometers arrived at U.S. ports a year ago this month. But in last 30 days, re were just five.

Hand sanitizer, also commonly sourced from China, has disappeared from U.S. stores, and it may stay scarce. Last year by this time, 223 shipments h arrived. This year, since January, just 157 shipments have come.

shorts affect patients because y can’t get tested and ir providers may be carrying virus from one person to next. But far greater risk is to medical personnel: Alrey, re are reports of dozens of doctors, nurses and medical staff who have contracted virus.

Nurses across country report that y are t receiving proper personal protective equipment and ir hospitals don't have isolation rooms y need to safely care for COVID-19 patients, according to National Nurses United, largest union of registered nurses in U.S.

“It’s t safe at all. body is safe,” said Consuelo Vargas, an emergency room nurse at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. On Friday morning, after a possible exposure at work, she went to a local hardware store and bought all painter booties and jumpsuits y h to wear while caring for people.

“It’s so frustrating because we feel like health care workers are being asked for a lot — and that’s fine, we can do our job. We’re just asking for equipment we need,” she said.

short doesn't affect only health care. humanitarian medical firm Direct Relief thought it was heing into 2020 well-stocked, with several million N95 masks. organization h increased its orders in 2019 after massive wildfires in West filled cities with smoke, squeezing its supplies in recent years.

But n bushfires overwhelmed Australia with smoky skies and so Direct Relief began sending masks re, vice president Tony Morain said.

When coronavirus hit China, organization began shipping masks to Wuhan — outbreak's epicenter — in an effort to contain disease.

Morain said y’ve ordered 2 million more masks and are awaiting shipments. Those typically take at least five weeks to arrive: two weeks to make masks, two weeks of shipping and a week to get through port. Meanwhile, he said, Direct Relief has received well over 100 requests from hospitals and health centers down to ir last boxes.

In an effort to fill gap, Minnesota-based 3M is running its Aberdeen, South Dakota, plant around clock, producing millions of N95 masks per month. company is also ramping up production of surgical masks and commercial cleaning solutions, CEO Mike Roman said.

neless, one federal contract with 3M for $4.8 million of N95 masks dated March 12 says masks will be delivered April 30 — seven weeks later, according to public contract data.

A number of Chinese companies told AP this week that y will be resuming exports — which bring higher prices — but that y are overwhelmed and can't meet demand.

“Chinese mask manufacturers have received too many orders from abro, but have time to produce all of m and make a delivery,” said David Peng, manr of Ningbo Buy Best International Tring Co. Ltd.

Tre data shows importers have mand to maintain some supplies by shifting to factories outside China. Shipments of surgical gowns, for example, have dropped less than 5% since December, since y are w coming from Honduras. same is true for medical gloves, which are w primarily coming from South Korea.

federal government said a national stockpile was being me available at state level, but goverrs said y weren't getting what y need.

"I think every goverr in United States has been banging on door of federal government with respect to stockpile. We certainly have, and we’re going to continue to,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said at a news conference this week.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious-disease specialist at University of California-San Francisco, said he was alarmed by new CDC vice for hospitals that run out of masks.

“For CDC to say people can wear bandanas is actually quite frightening,” he said. “I never thought CDC would say something like that. We’re in United States of America in 2020, and we have a recommendation to use bandanas?”