US states join forces in 'hunt' for medical supplies to fight Covid-19

The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced that shortages of equipment such as gloves, masks, and protective suits for health care workers will last for another month, so the federal stockpile can only meet a small fraction of individual states' needs. In Illinois, for example, the state's demand for medical masks and gloves is 27 times higher than the federal government's supply. The shortage was predicted by US President Donald Trump last month, when he warned state governors to find ways to meet their own needs.

States across the US are struggling to get enough protective equipment for medical staff Photo: Fox News

As a result, many states in the US are having to find ways to get these devices on their own, from cooperating with private partners, calling for donations, and forming alliances with other states. The alliance will create greater purchasing power, making them more competitive when bidding in the fierce global medical equipment market. In addition, the alliance also helps states transfer excess supplies to other “hotspot” states.

Gavin Newsom, Governor of California - the most populous state in the United States - said that California plans to spend 1 billion USD to order 500 million masks, delivered from May to July, then shared with high-demand states in the Western region.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer also said that Michigan spent $130 million on medical equipment last week, and is now joining a coalition with other Great Lakes states to increase purchasing power on the world market. According to Montana Governor Steve Bullock, the number of medical masks the state received from neighboring North Dakota was five times higher than the number of masks provided from the national stockpile.

States such as Arkansas, California, Oregon and Washington have also sent ventilators to other states with more urgent needs, with New Jersey receiving the most - a state predicted to become the second hot spot of the epidemic in the US after New York.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday that he will propose the creation of a consortium of states to participate in global purchasing after he takes over as chairman of the Governors Association this fall. He said that states will have to “do things that the federal government cannot do,” because no one can be sure that a pandemic like Covid-19 will not happen again in the future.