Biden administration steps in to get millions of available N95 masks to the frontline workers who need them.

 

Feb. 11, 2021

 

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/02/11/world/covid-19-coronavirus#biden-administration-steps-in-to-get-millions-of-available-n95-masks-to-the-frontline-workers-who-need-them

The White House on Thursday stepped into the fragmented market for disposable, virus-filtering N95 masks, moving to connect medical supply companies with mask manufacturers who say they are loaded with inventory but can’t find buyers — even in the midst of a pandemic in which doctors and nurses are desperate for the protective gear.

President Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator, Jeffrey D. Zients, intervened after reading about the mask manufacturers’ dilemma on Thursday in an article in The New York Times.

“We will do all we can to get frontline workers the personal protective equipment they need, including breaking down barriers for N95 manufacturers,” Mr. Zients said in a statement, adding that he had already “reached out to all of the major medical distributors to start connecting them with these new N95 mask manufacturers.”


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