$350 million invested in medical gowns for Strategic National Stockpile

Editor's Note

Six US companies will manufacture approximately 250 million medical gowns as part of a government effort to shore up supplies that were subject to shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Associated Press (AP) reported October 3.

Led by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the initiative is among the final steps in replenishing the Strategic National Stockpile’s personal protective equipment (PPE), which is supposed to maintain a robust supply but was critically understocked when the pandemic began. As detailed in the article, healthcare professionals were forced to improvise during the pandemic's early days, using makeshift PPE like trash bags due to widespread shortages. There were also panic purchases of substandard or expired materials.

The investment in the gowns amounts to at least $350 million, AP reports. As a result, the stockpile will hold a 90-day supply of gowns, in addition to 1.5 billion gloves and 1.1 billion masks already in storage.