The coronavirus pandemic has left the US healthcare system in shortage of much-needed resources for patients and doctors. One such lacking item is masks, prompting the Indian state of Kerala to have prisoners make reusable ones. Depending on how bad the situation becomes, the US healthcare system may require up to 3.5 billion masks, and it is nowhere near having enough, not even now. Fortunately, many companies are jumping in to help by committing to donating and manufacturing N95 masks.
More and more people are happy doing what they can to make up for the shortfall in supply of essential medical supplies. The latest significant contribution is coming from Apple. Tim Cook, the company’s CEO, announced that it is donating “millions” of masks to healthcare professionals in the US and Europe.
Tim Cook tweeted:
Our teams at Apple have been working to help source supplies for healthcare providers fighting COVID-19. We’re donating millions of masks for health professionals in the US and Europe. To every one of the heroes on the front lines, we thank you.
Our teams at Apple have been working to help source supplies for healthcare providers fighting COVID-19. We’re donating millions of masks for health professionals in the US and Europe. To every one of the heroes on the front lines, we thank you.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) March 21, 2020
And Vice President Mike Pence said at a White House press briefing:
The president and I literally heard directly from Apple that they’re donating 2 million industrial masks to this effort around the country and working with our administration to distribute those.
This is in addition to a previous generous donation of $15 million in donations to help treat the sick and lessen the economic impacts of the crisis, as well as a program that lets Apple Card owners skip their March payments without interest.
The shortage of masks is being felt around the world. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in a note to employees:
Masks remain in short supply globally. [The company has] placed purchase orders for millions of face masks we want to give to our employees and contractors who cannot work from home, but very few of those orders have been filled.
N95 respirators are close-fitted, disposable masks. They work by keeping virus-laden droplets away from the wearer’s mouth and nose. However, their effectiveness depends on proper use and fit, cautions the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
