Amid the statewide shortage of PPE for health care workers and first responders during the coronavirus pandemic, Apple CEO Tim Cook donated and delivered 100,000 N95 masks to the state of Illinois this weekend.
“We are so grateful for the generosity of companies near and far stepping up to support their fellow Americans, especially supporting the heroes of Illinois,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at his daily press briefing Sunday.
Earlier this month, Cook and Apple Inc. donated more than 20 million face masks worldwide and began manufacturing one million face shields a week.
“This is a truly global effort and we’re working with governments at all levels to ensure these are donated to places of greatest need,” Cook explained in video he posted on Twitter.
The donation is the second this week to come from the west coast. On Tuesday, Pritzker publicly thanked California Gov. Gavin Newsom after 100 ventilators were delivered to Illinois.
“It’s truly incredible to work with elected officials across the nation who are providing real leadership,” Pritzker said in a series of tweets thanking Newsom.
Local
The masks and ventilators arrived as Illinois is expected to see its peak in coronavirus cases.
On Sunday, the state of Illinois reported 1,672 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the state's total number of cases to 20,852 total since the pandemic began.
More ventilators are expected to arrive this month, according to Pritzker, as the state has placed orders for approximately 3,620 of the devices.
