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Question: Why was America's supply of N-95 respirator masks so low at the start of this outbreak?
Answer:
National Stockpile of N95 Masks Was Depleted Under Obama and Not Replenished
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March 25,2020
The shortage of N95 respirator masks in America today is the result of the Obama-Biden Administration’s failure to replenish the Strategic National Stockpile after the H1N1 swine flu pandemic depleted supplies, according to multiple reports.
The H1N1 influenza outbreak in 2009 led to 274,304 hospitalizations, 12,469 deaths, and a severe shortage of masks of N95 respirator masks in the United States.
According to Bloomberg News, the national stockpile—which is governed by the Health and Human Services Department—”distributed about three-quarters of its inventory and didn’t build back the supply.”
The stockpile was depleted of about 100 million masks during the swine flu epidemic, Charles Johnson, president of the International Safety Equipment Assn. told the LA Times.
Johnson’s association and a federally sponsored task force both recommended to the Obama administration that the stockpile be replenished, according to the Times.
Johnson said that advice was never heeded. “Our association is unaware of any major effort to restore the stockpile to cover that drawdown,” he said.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar revealed last month that only 12 million N95 masks were available in the stockpile, “a tiny fraction of the 3.5 billion masks one of Azar’s deputies later testified the nation’s healthcare system would need,” according to the Times.....
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It is what it is.
.
Question: Why was America's supply of N-95 respirator masks so low at the start of this outbreak?
Answer:
National Stockpile of N95 Masks Was Depleted Under Obama and Not Replenished
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 25,2020
The shortage of N95 respirator masks in America today is the result of the Obama-Biden Administration’s failure to replenish the Strategic National Stockpile after the H1N1 swine flu pandemic depleted supplies, according to multiple reports.
The H1N1 influenza outbreak in 2009 led to 274,304 hospitalizations, 12,469 deaths, and a severe shortage of masks of N95 respirator masks in the United States.
According to Bloomberg News, the national stockpile—which is governed by the Health and Human Services Department—”distributed about three-quarters of its inventory and didn’t build back the supply.”
The stockpile was depleted of about 100 million masks during the swine flu epidemic, Charles Johnson, president of the International Safety Equipment Assn. told the LA Times.
Johnson’s association and a federally sponsored task force both recommended to the Obama administration that the stockpile be replenished, according to the Times.
Johnson said that advice was never heeded. “Our association is unaware of any major effort to restore the stockpile to cover that drawdown,” he said.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar revealed last month that only 12 million N95 masks were available in the stockpile, “a tiny fraction of the 3.5 billion masks one of Azar’s deputies later testified the nation’s healthcare system would need,” according to the Times.....
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It is what it is.
.
Last edited:
