The situation is so dire one New Jersey doctor described it as "sending medical professionals like lambs to the slaughterhouse."
Concerns about a dwindling supply of PPE are not new. Back on February 7, the World Health Organizationsounded alarm bells about "the limited stock of PPE," noting demand was 100 times higher than normal for this equipment.
Yet the same day as the WHO warning, the Trump administration announced that it was transporting to Chinanearly 17.8 tons (more than 35,000 pounds) of "masks, gowns, gauze, respirators, and other vital materials." As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo noted in the press release announcing this shipment, "These donations are a testament to the generosity of the American people."