CDC: Maine receiving ‘paltry’ shipments of medical supplies compared to other states

With the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases growing to 275 in Maine, the Maine CDC reported at a Monday press conference that the amount of personal protective equipment (PPE) the state has received from the Strategic National Stockpile is far less than what will be needed to address the pandemic.

According to reporting by the Washington Post, Maine has received a far smaller proportion of the masks and other equipment the state has requested compared to other states. Florida, for example, received nearly 100 percent of the masks and other supplies they requested within a matter of days.

Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, confirmed during the press conference that Maine has not received the same amount of supplies, proportional to its population, as other states.

Dr. Nirav Shah speaking about the state’s PPE supply at the Monday press conference | Video still from Maine Public stream

“I have started to inquire of my colleagues [about] what might account for those differences, what algorithm has been used by the Strategic National Stockpile to make these distribution determinations,” he said in response to a question from Beacon about the reason for this disparity in supplies. “As of right now, we haven’t received much visibility into that, [but] we are continuing to try to get more answers.”

Dr. Shah said that Maine will receive a third and potentially final allotment of PPE Monday night that is still “insufficient.”

“Maine has received a paltry amount of PPE in comparison to what we’ve asked for,” said Shah.

The Strategic National Stockpile is a reserve of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies meant for distribution during a public health emergency that overwhelms local supplies, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the third federal allotment of supplies, Maine will receive roughly 60,000 additional N-95 masks, 143,000 procedure masks, 31,000 face shields, 25,000 surgical gowns, 1,500 coveralls and 184,000 gloves. 

The additional 60,000 N-95 masks, which help prevent health care professionals from contracting the virus, brings Maine’s total up to roughly 86,000 masks, compared to the 500,000 masks the Maine CDC requested.

Top photo: A doctor equipped with a face shield and mask at a COVID-19 testing center in Maryland | Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images