PPE

The push to make personal protective equipment in the U.S. is running out steam after an initial surge at the start of the coronavirus pandemic

President Joe Biden detailed Thursday his administration’s efforts to double its procurement of rapid COVID-19 tests and make high-quality masks available for free as coronavirus cases continue to spike nationwide.

India has seen huge spikes in COVID-19 cases, with over 400,000 reported cases on some recent days. The spike has led to shortages of oxygen, personal protective equipment and other supplies. So students at many American universities got together to raise over 16 million rupees (over $200,000 US dollars) on GiveIndia.org to purchase those needed supplies.

Earlier in the coronavirus pandemic, PPE shortages meant that many people were making cloth face coverings out of available fabrics, like T-shirts and bedsheets, or wearing bandanas. Not only are there now plenty of mask options out there, we have data on what materials and designs are most effective at blocking droplets and aerosolized particles.

While masks and other protective gear are crucial in the fight against COVID-19, they can have an incredibly damaging impact on the planet. The director of research at the conservation group Oceans Asia, Teale Phelps Bondaroff, joined LX News to discuss how massive numbers of face masks have been entering our oceans since the start of the pandemic.

Teachers need pencils, crayons, glue sticks … and plexiglass.

Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL speaks to the devastating impact Covid-19 continues to have at long-term care nursing facilities across the country as they run low on staff and PPE.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report on Wednesday with recommendations on how districts should prepare to reopen schools.

Eric Lundgren has made the problem of electronic waste his life’s work – and even spent a year in jail for that mission. Now he’s turning his focus to the coronavirus crisis by importing and donating PPE as well as mobile emergency power trailers that use repurposed lithium ion batteries from old Teslas.

The New York Times talks to the innovators and entrepreneurs who have jumped in to help make personal protective equipment for first responders.

While it remains unclear if Chicago Public Schools will resume in-person instruction this fall, many teachers have voiced concerns, wondering if returning to the classroom is worth the risk. At a press conference unrelated to the schools’ decision on Thursday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said details on the district’s reopening plan are set to be released, though she declined to...

Nurse Alice Benjamin provides tips for proper face mask wearing and answers some frequently asked questions, including how to make sure your mask fits and how often to clean it.

The New York Times reports how inventors from around the world are using their skills to create desperately needed PPE equipment for healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic.

As restaurants around the world look for ways to safely reopen, some restaurants in France are experimenting with plastic domes to help keep restaurant workers and diners healthy.

President Donald Trump visited a Ford plant on Thursday to tour the automaker’s production of medical ventilators. Despite CDC and coronavirus task force guidelines, the president wore a mask briefly and away from the press pool, sayng, “I didn’t want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it.”

President Donald Trump visited Allentown, Pa., Thursday to announce the Strategic National Stockpile 2.0, which would increase PPE supplies and ask private companies to store some of those supplies.

An email sent to U.S. Immunologist Dr. Rick Bright is something that made him “feel a pit in his stomach.”

Administrators at a Colorado nursing home hard hit by COVID-19 say shipments of personal protective equipment needed to protect their staff were seized and redirected by the federal government. They are still waiting for an explanation.

Three Boeing Dreamlifter airplanes landed in North Charleston, South Carolina, to deliver personal protective equipment from China.

How often should you wash your mask? And what’s the best way to clean it? Nurse Alice Benjamin shares some best practices for wearing face masks.