President Trump has recommended that Americans cover their faces and ”use scarfs” due to the global mask shortage with coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. According to health officials face masks not only stop the spread of germs but wearing a facemask can help prevent you from getting sick. Since the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic began there has been a massive outcry by hospitals, doctors, nurses, health care workers, and first responders for protective equipment. N95 respirator masks, surgical masks, ventilators, and surgical gloves.
During a press conference on Tuesday, President Trump stated that if people were worried about contracting the coronavirus, “scarves are very good” to use as a shield. Trump continued, “we are only talking about a limited period of time.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases stated that the government wanted to “make sure we don’t take away the supply of masks from the health care workers who need them.”
Dr. Fauci continued to state that when there were enough masks available that he believes “there will be some very serious consideration about more broadening this recommendation of using masks.”
The reason why N95 masks are an essential line of defense against coronavirus COVID-19 masks is that they are a filtered safety device that protects the wearer from airborne particles that could be dangerous by 95 percent. N95 masks are designed to fit snugly around the nose and mouth area giving more protection to the wearer. There are different types of N95 masks manufactured with some having cooling values because the masks can get hot and difficult to breathe in. There are also reusable and disable N95 masks manufactured.
Surgical masks are loosely fitting and used as a physical barrier on sick people to prevent them from spreading infectious illnesses on others. Surgical masks do not prevent the wearer from inhaling dangerous airborne particles but wearing them during the COVID-19 pandemic is better than no barrier over your face.
The medical supply shortage has been a real dilemma for all health care workers and patients with COVID-19. According to the Associated Press, the critical shortage was a result of a decrease in imports from China. The shortage in the United States began in February due to the coronavirus outbreak in China that closed down the factories that produced medical supplies. The U.S. receives an ample amount of medical supplies from China.
On Tuesday, during MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stated, “ President Trump must use the Defense Production Act” to make medical supplies that are needed to “save lives.” Pelosi continued that it was wrong that “people have to “make judgments about who gets a ventilator.”
President Trump responded to Pelosi’s comments on Twitter. Trump stated that he watched “Morning Psycho (Joe)” because he wanted to see what Pelosi “had to say and what moves she was planning to further hurt our Country.” Trump continued that “she wasn’t bad” and that he was “still praying.”
I watched a portion of low rated (very) Morning Psycho (Joe) this Morning in order to see what Nancy Pelosi had to say, & what moves she was planning to further hurt our Country. Actually, other than her usual complaining that I’m a terrible person, she wasn’t bad. Still praying!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 31, 2020
Governors across the United States have urged President Trump and the federal government for help getting the medical supplies that are needed for the health workers and the residents of their states. The governors have challenged the Trump administration on having the needed medical supplies.
On Tuesday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo stated, that “the country’s patchwork approach to the pandemic had made it harder to get desperately needed ventilators.” Cuomo continued to explain that trying to get the ventilators “is like being on eBay with 50 other states.”
The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic began in the United States on January 15, when Patient Zero, a 35-year-old man arrived at Seattle-Tacoma Airport after returning from a trip to Wuhan, China. The man upon arriving back to the U.S. experienced a slight cough and fever. He heard a report on the news that said that anyone who traveled from China and who was not feeling well should contact their doctor. A few days later he went to the urgent care clinic and told them about his travels. The urgent care clinic took samples from the patient and sent them to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where he tested positive for COVID-19.
Since the first case of the coronavirus COVID-19 in the United States, the virus has rapidly spread across the country. There have been 199,026 confirmed cases, and 4,369 confirmed deaths. The White House task force has projected that there will be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths due to coronavirus COVID-19 over the next few months.
The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic began in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. It was not until March 11, that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic. Over 200 countries have been affected by the pandemic. There are 912,098 confirmed cases and there have been 45,540 related deaths.