Seattle, March 20 (RHC)-- Hospitals around the United States are already reporting shortages of testing swabs and protective gear to shield medical workers from infection. In Washington state, workers at Providence St. Joseph Health purchased vinyl sheets, foam and industrial tape from Home Depot and began manufacturing their own face shields and masks after supplies began to dwindle.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was "immediately" deploying two Navy hospital ships to free up capacity in civilian hospitals, but the Pentagon acknowledged that the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy will take weeks to deploy.