Medical Supply Chains

Scarcity of key material squeezes medical mask manufacturing

The U.S. still doesn't have enough N95 masks for healthcare workers. Our investigation found the administration took months to sign contracts with companies that make the crucial component inside these masks: meltblown textile.

Published September 10, 2020

In this undated photo provided by Outdoor Research in September 2020, a worker adjusts material on a machine that makes surgical masks in Seattle. As the city became a major coronavirus hotspot, the clothing and sportswear company also switched gears. (Gerardo Villalobos/Outdoor Research via AP)

More Medical Supply Chains Stories

Why was the United States left scrambling for critical medical equipment as the coronavirus swept the country? An investigation into the fragmented global medical supply chain and its deadly consequences. Streaming now.

Medical supply chains are the fragile lifelines between raw materials and manufacturers overseas, and health care workers on COVID-19 front lines in the U.S. As link after link broke, the system fell apart. This catastrophic collapse was one of the country’s most consequential failures to control the virus.