States have access to the ventilators and personal protective equipment needed to handle a surge of coronavirus cases, according to President Trump.
Shortages of N95 face masks, gloves, gowns, and ventilators have left many medical professionals feeling unprepared for a surge in coronavirus cases. But during the White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing on Friday, Trump said the nationwide supply of these materials is built up well enough to handle the peak of the outbreak.
“We are in great shape with ventilators. We are in great shape with protective clothing,” Trump explained. “We have additional planeloads coming in, but we are not getting any calls from governors at this moment.”
He continued, “I can speak, I think, for Vice President Pence, who will be talking in a little while. We are getting very few calls from governors or anybody else needing anything. They are in great shape for the surge that is coming in certain areas in particular.”
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Democratic governors in both New York and Louisiana have said they no longer fear running out of ventilators. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo noted on Friday that some hospitals are still “uncomfortable” running on a smaller supply than they were used to before the pandemic, but said they all have access to the equipment they need day-to-day.
As of Friday, the United States had more than 475,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and nearly 18,000 related deaths. New York and Louisiana have two of the largest outbreaks in the nation.
