FDA's first-ever list of medical supply shortages says US needs more ventilators, gloves,...

[Nevilledog]

FDA's first-ever list of medical supply shortages says US needs more ventilators, gloves, surgical gowns

https://www.yahoo.com/news/fdas-first-ever-list-medical-153200718.html

On Friday, the US Food & Drug Administration issued a publicly available list of medical supply shortages for the first time.

The list cited the CARES Act that was signed in March for adding an additional section in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Part of the new section required the FDA to "maintain a publicly-available, up-to-date list of the devices the FDA has determined to be in shortage," the FDA announced.

In the list, a number of PPE, testing supplies, and ventilation related products are stated to be short in supply. Surgical apparel, patient examination gloves, sterile swabs, and ventilators are among those on the list.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump lauded the nation's supply of medical supplies at Friday's press conference at the White House. He commemorated his administration for using the Defense Production Act "more than any President in history" to help America create ventilators.

"Our nation is now the king of ventilators. I say that: the king of ventilators," Trump said.

*snip*

[SheltieLover]

1. K&R!

Because a "stable genius" is in charge!

[Frustratedlady]

2. But he usually says "we" are selling them to lots of foreign countries.

I usually figure he's getting a cut/ventilator.

If he's keeping them from US citizens, that should be a criminal act.

[ck4829]

3. K&R

[crickets]

4. I'm confused. From yesterday:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213926222
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/08/18/ventilators-coronavirus-stockpile/

The U.S. forced major manufacturers to build ventilators. Now they’re piling up unused in a strategic reserve.

August 18, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. EDT SAN FRANCISCO — Months into a $3 billion U.S. effort to manufacture tens of thousands of ventilators to stave off coronavirus deaths, the government stockpile is facing a glut.

General Motors and Ford by early May began delivering the first ventilators they scrambled to manufacture, in part compelled by President Trump’s invocation of the federal Defense Production Act. General Electric, Philips and other manufacturers’ efforts have delivered more than 94,000 of them to the stockpile, and General Motors plans to soon hand over its business to a counterpart. [snip]

Now, unexpectedly, the vast majority of ventilators are going unused. The Department of Health and Human Services said it had handed out 15,057 ventilators by Friday, and there were 95,713 ventilators in the federal stockpile. Of those, 94,352 came from contracts signed since the beginning of the pandemic. [snip]

“While there is not currently a shortfall of ventilators in the [strategic national stockpile] inventory, the new ventilators procured during the covid-19 response will ensure the United States is prepared to respond to any hot spots in the coming months as well as future public health emergencies,” an HHS spokeswoman said, adding, “Many states initially requested far more ventilators than they actually needed,” leading to the surplus.

Article is much longer; it sounds like by the time production finally got into gear, demand dropped a bit as approaches to treatment changed. Quotas haven't gone down and are still being filled to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, but no additional contracts are expected. At one point the article mentions state and international back orders. No, I don't understand why there are backorders when there's also a surplus, and in some cases (also in the article) states are sending back ventilators they no longer need.



I don't get it. Why does the FDA think there's a ventilator shortage? Is there still a ventilator shortage?

This bears repeating:

The Department of Health and Human Services said it had handed out 15,057 ventilators by Friday, and there were 95,713 ventilators in the federal stockpile.

Jared? What are you doing with all the ventilators?


*tap* Is this thing on?

[Nevilledog]

5. How are we supposed to believe anything from this admin?