Reported by Samuel Li
As of March 25th, San Diego has a total of 297 confirmed cases and two deaths due to the coronavirus outbreak. As a result, medical supply shortages in local hospitals have become severe, and some hospitals are beginning to use hand-made masks with limited protection against the virus. However, the situation is further aggravated by customary congestion on oversea shipments, therefore the schedule of mask delivery was further delayed to at least next week, given the lack of tracking numbers.
AYLUS San Diego Branch learned that the hospital also urgently needed surgical masks to be used in conjunction with the KN95 face masks. The Branch responded immediately in contacting relevant manufacturers despite severe shortage on general mask inventory. After comprehensive screening of qualification certificates, evaluation and price comparison, 1,000 high-quality surgical masks (ASTM Level 2) were ordered and donated to Kaiser Permanente and Palomar medical center. These mask donations helped fill the gap before bulk oversea shipments’ arrival, and provided crucial protection for the front-line medical staff in San Diego County at this time of crisis.
