News Room

According to the Food and Drug Administration, a medical device shortage is “a period of time for which the demand or projected demand for a medical device within the U.S. will exceed the supply or projected supply for that device.” While medical devices range from low-tech supplies like gloves and gowns to sophisticated equipment like defibrillators and pacemakers, our reporting focuses on the former. 

Though no one knows exactly when it will happen, the coming onslaught of critically-ill patients sick with Covid-19 is expected to far surpass the bed capacity of many hospitals across the country. 

Economists have vastly under-estimated the economic damage from COVID-19. For example, on March 2, the OECD forecast that the Coronavirus would nick U.S. economic growth — trimming its 2% U.S. 2020 GDP growth forecast for the year to 1.9%. 

Transplant surgeries should be considered high priority and should not be postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic, if possible. 

When president donald trump invoked the Defense Production Act yesterday, it was telling in two respects. First, it showed that the full force of the federal government will be brought to bear in the manufacturing of vital medical supplies. Second, it underlined what has already become clear: The way our modern supply chain is built is incredibly fragile.