U.S. Efforts To Make, Protective Medical Gear, Fall Flat.
Yahoo reports that many small manufacturers took advantage of government grants to pivot production to protective medical gear following the onset of the pandemic.
Supply shortages, shipping slowdowns and the regulatory approval process have made the transition not profitable for many of these businesses.
Supply shortages, shipping slowdowns and the regulatory approval process have made the transition not profitable for many of these businesses.
According to an Associated Press report, many of these companies have now either scaled back, shut down or given up altogether.
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Several of these manufacturers faced regulatory rejections, logistical hurdles and tough competition from foreign suppliers.
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Yahoo reports that the pandemic has revealed that the United States is highly dependent on foreign countries for protective medical gear.
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U.S. stockpiles of protective health gear plummeted after China limited exports to combat COVID internally.
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According to Yahoo, while stockpiles have been replenished, concerns persist that a future pandemic could result in another scramble for supplies.
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Some businesses have banded together to create the American Mask Manufacturer's Association, which is looking for long-term federal contracts.
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If the federal government doesn’t come in and help support the U.S. manufacturing base, it’s almost certainly going to go back to China, and we’ll be just as vulnerable as we were in early 2020 and 2019, Brent Dillie, association chairman and co-founder of Premium-PPE, via Yahoo.
The Biden administration has formed a task force of experts to develop a strategy for creating a, “resilient public health supply chain.”.
The Biden administration has formed a task force of experts to develop a strategy for creating a, “resilient public health supply chain.”.
However, according to Yahoo, the task force's work is expected to extend for years, much longer than some manufacturers can wait for a federal life preserver
