Union finds 39 million coronavirus masks in 5 days

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Almost 40 million medical masks are waiting for U.S. hospitals in desperate need.

That’s thanks to the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), which said it located 39 million N95 masks, available for purchase, in the last five days and is now connecting health providers with the respective suppliers.

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The union said it has no financial interest in the transactions.

“SEIU-UHW members and health care workers all over California are desperate for more protection, so we are seeking out supplies wherever we can get them,” SEIU-UHW President Dave Regan said in a statement sent to FOX Business, adding that they will "turn over every rock to find more equipment to make sure health care workers, who are heroically putting their own health on the line to care for patients, can do their jobs.”

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N95 respiration mask at a laboratory. REUTERS/Nicholas Pfosi).

N95s are in high demand among both workers deemed "essential" and worried U.S. residents as people across the country fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

SEIU-UHW said it launched its search in response to pleas from workers on the front lines of the pandemic, including doctors and nurses. The California-based union has 97,000 members who work in hospitals in the state.

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To find the masks and other personal protective equipment, the union called a number of leads within a 48-hour period before finding a distributor that had all 39 million. It said it has since found another that said it can make 20 million more masks in a week.

When deadly viral outbreaks like the coronavirus kill and sicken hundreds of people, health officials often encourage the public to wear surgical masks to prevent the spread of disease. But just how well do surgical masks really work?

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So far, according to SEIU-UHW, buyers are already purchasing the $5-apiece masks, including the Greater New York Hospital Association and the state of California.

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California and New York are two places hit hardest by the virus. Of the 80,000 nationwide COVID-19 cases, roughly 3,000 are in the Golden State and 37,200 are in New York State.

In the city itself, New York-Presbyterian Hospital is burning through 40,000 N95 masks per day, according to one report, and that number could hit 70,000 soon. Meanwhile, officials in Los Angeles County are telling doctors and nurses to reuse face masks and wear expired equipment.

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