The Defense Production Act could have been invoked in February to make masks

[intrepidity]

That would have been the single, most simple, action that, imho, would have had the greatest impact on this pandemic in the U.S.

The early debates about mask-wearing--that precipitated the anti-masker movement--would not have happened, because it was the scarcity of PPE that led to that.

I hope Biden talks about this. It is such an easy concept to understand. This isn't high-tech, it is the lowest tech imaginable. That our industrial base--what remains of it anyway--wasn't directed to this effort, will ultimately be seen as the most significant failure of the response to Covid19.

It would have been such a simple action to take. And would have made, literally, all the difference in the world.

[Klaralven]

1. You still can't buy good face masks

NIOSH certified N-95 masks are either very expensive or unobtainable by the general public.

People are reduced to wearing crummy cloth masks or slightly better 3-ply surgical masks instead.

The best you can get seem to be the Chinese KN-95 masks.

[MontanaMama]

2. We are on the precipice of a nitrile glove shortage

that'll blow the mask shortage away. You might be able to re-use a mask...if it could be sterilized but gloves? No way. There aren't any US manufacturers of nitrile gloves. They're all imported and the US recently stopped buying from one Chinese company due to evident human rights violations, which is a good thing. Regardless, the price of nitrile gloves is skyrocketing. 4 months ago, our gloves were $4.99 per box of 100. Today those same gloves are over $16 a box and our vendor would only sell us 1 case of gloves due to supply shortages. They told me to expect another 35% increase October 1st. Most websites I looked at were out of stock. You can get a random box here and there on Amazon but they're really expensive. Costco is out of stock. We go through 20 boxes in about 6 months. I can't imagine what a medical office or hospital goes through.

[intrepidity]

3. Wow, I didn't know about that

Another example of what a functional president could help with.

[MontanaMama]

4. This. A functional government with a grown up as president.

And, the tin foil hat lady inside me wonders if Kushner and his band of thieves didn’t seize gloves early in the pandemic only to profit off them later. That’s what they did with the PPE that states bought during the first wave of the pandemic. They seized it and then sold it back at astronomical prices.