Reuters/Nicholas Pfosi
- Federal agencies are reportedly deciding what to do with a stockpile of 1.5 million expired N95 masks sitting in storage as healthcare workers face critical shortages of protective gear treating coronavirus patients.
- Five people with knowledge of the stockpile told The Washington Post that the surplus of masks is sitting in a CBP warehouse in Indiana and has not yet been shipped out because they are expired.
- Sources told The Post that the masks are part of the CBP's emergency supplies and that the Department of Homeland Security has decided to offer the supplies to the Transportation Security Administration.
- According to the CDC, expired masks can still be effective if they were stored correctly.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Federal agencies have a stockpile of 1.5 million expired N95 masks sitting in storage, despite reports of critical shortages at hospitals and medical centers treating coronavirus patients across the county.
N95 respirators are personal protective equipment used to shield the wearer's face from airborne disease particles. The masks are primarily used by healthcare professionals treating the COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus, as well as by officials at the US Customs and Border Protection.
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See Also:
- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warns of mass death, condemns 'false hope,' and tells us his city will be on lockdown for another 2 months — and to 'be prepared for longer'
- The US government has a stockpile of 16,000 extra ventilators in case of an emergency like COVID-19. It isn't enough.
- 'Some may even die, I don't know': Former Wells Fargo CEO wants people to go back to work and 'see what happens'
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