Supply Chain

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters March 17 that the Pentagon will provide federal healthcare authorities with 5 million respirator masks and 2,000 specialized ventilators to help in the pandemic response, ABC News reported.

President Donald Trump said March 18 he is invoking the Defense Production Act, a law that gives the federal government the power to force private companies to increase production of goods that will help fight the coronavirus pandemic, STAT reported. 

Staff at Providence St. Joseph Health in Renton, Wash., have been making protective medical gear out of office supplies to deal with a shortage of equipment, Bloomberg reported. 

A ventilator shortage could lead to an overwhelmed healthcare system if Americans fail to take precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, NBC News reported. 

The FDA updated its policies on diagnostic testing for COVID-19 to speed up and increase the country's testing capacity. 

The U.S. is facing shortages of cotton swabs for COVID-19 testing despite the Trump administration's plans to drastically increase testing capacity this week, according to Politico. 

Amazon announced March 16 that it plans to add 100,000 employees in the U.S. to meet demands amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to CNBC.

The FDA has granted emergency authorization to use Thermo Fisher's diagnostic kit to test people for COVID-19. 

In an increasingly consumer-driven atmosphere, patient expectations for healthcare supply chains are higher than ever.

MultiCare Health System, based in Tacoma, Wash., is reusing face masks intended for a single use because it is running out of supplies, The News Tribune reported.