Worldwide Personal Protective Equipment Shortages

The U.S. is freezing overseas shipments of personal protective equipment as shortages become a major problem worldwide. President Trump admitted the strategic national stockpile is nearly depleted and has deployed it’s final round of PPE shipments. Another official also admitted that the stockpile was never large enough to be able to “serve as the only source of protective gear for the entire coronavirus response” in the world, let alone all fifty states at the same time. We now have to rely on private markets for the protective gear we need so desperately. To make matters worse, the White House and U.S. health officials are now re-considering face mask guidelines. New research has shown countries like China, whose citizens frequently wear face masks, reported a lower numbers of cases. It has sparked the debate of whether or not American citizens should also be required to wear PPE, despite shortages.