Coronavirus Latest: Delaware Valley Health Care Workers Plead For More Medical Supplies Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Medical supplies continue to be very limited amid the coronavirus pandemic. Reinforcements are supposed to be on the way, but many in the health care community are asking when.
Medical teams in hospitals are on the front lines, taking care of a growing number of COVID-19 patients. But they need protective equipment to guard against the contagious virus.
Because of shortages, many locations are being forced to ration medical equipment.
"We're concerned. We're scared," said Dr. Pratik Parikh, an emergency medicine physician in Lehigh Valley.
Health care workers desperately fighting the spread of the coronavirus don't have the equipment they need to stay safe. A shortage of masks has some resorting to makeshift bandanas.
"We are responding to the challenges of this pandemic and keeping our patients safe," Dr. Zaheer Shah-Internist said, "and yet, we are being asked to do it without even a modicum of effort to really help us being protected in the process of doing it."
There are now growing reports of frontline health care workers testing positive for the virus, including at Penn Medicine and Main Line Health, though it's unclear if the exposures are the result of equipment shortages.
"We need to get personal protective equipment because we're going to lose our workforce if we don't," Dr. Karolyn Kay Moody said.
President Donald Trump was asked about the shortage concerns at Thursday's task force briefing.
"I cannot explain the gap. I'm hearing very good things on the ground," Trump said.
Officials say more medical supplies are coming from the Pentagon and private industry.
"We've vastly increased the supply of medical masks," Vice President Mike Pence said.
Doctors say the supplies can't come soon enough.
"We want to protect our patients. We want to protect our children, but we don't have the support," Dr. Hala Sabry said. "We don't have the means. We don't have the resources and so this is our plea for help."
New medical supplies are supposed to be coming from the military. Industries like construction are also donating their inventory of masks.
There are no specifics yet on when those deliveries will happen.