How the United States ‘wasted two months’ to prepare for the coronavirus

American stockpiles of essential health equipment such as ventilators and masks are quickly being drained as the number of patients needing critical care surges

Experts say the federal government should spearhead efforts to make sure that supplies are available and go to the places that need them most.

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US authorities are scrambling to amass enough masks and ventilators to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: AP

Published: 1:49pm, 6 Apr 2020Updated: 9:44pm, 6 Apr 2020

After the first alarms sounded in early January that an outbreak of a novel coronavirus in China might ignite a global pandemic, the administration of US President Donald Tump squandered nearly two months that could have been used to bolster the federal stockpile of critically needed medical supplies and equipment.

A review of federal purchasing contracts shows federal agencies largely waited until mid-March to begin placing bulk orders of N95 respirator masks, mechanical ventilators and other equipment needed by frontline health workers.

By that time, hospitals in several states were treating thousands of infected patients without adequate equipment and were pleading for shipments from the Strategic National Stockpile. That federal cache of supplies was created more than 20 years ago to help bridge gaps in the medical and pharmaceutical supply chains during a national emergency.

Now, three months into the crisis, that stockpile is nearly drained just as the number of patients needing critical care is surging. Some state and local officials report receiving broken ventilators and decade-old dry-rotted masks.

“We basically wasted two months,” said Kathleen Sebelius, health and human services (HHS) secretary during the administration of former president Barack Obama.

As early as mid-January, US officials could see that hospitals in China’s Hubei province were overwhelmed with infected patients, with many left dependent on ventilator machines to breathe. Italy soon followed, with hospitals scrambling for doctors, beds and equipment.