BRUNSWICK, Ga. — You’ve seen the video and pictures of millions of people in China, wearing protective masks as they try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
But those masks and other protective gear are in short supply.
Non-profit volunteers on the ground in Wuhan said, nurses are working 8 hours plus without meal or bathroom breaks for fear of removing their masks and gloves.
“Knowing that when take them off, they don’t have one to put back on or there’s a shortage and they won’t be there. So, there’s that fear of not having the supplies that you need and you also don’t know when you’re exposed to it," said Jason Elliot, Senior Manager of Disaster Relief for MAP International
MAP International, based in Brunswick, GA, is a global health non-profit that sends medicine and supplies to countries in need.
Elliot is back in Georgia now, after spending a week in China just as the coronavirus outbreak started making global headlines.
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“Day one is was not as serious. I noticed by day two it had become the focus of local media and then it seemed like overnight everyone was wearing masks and checking temperatures," said Elliot. "And when I got back, people were kind of going 'oh!' They were kind of hesitant to be around me at first, they were like, 'you’ve been in China.' That was a legitimate fear.”
To help, MAP is sending 1.3 million masks, 10,000 protective suits and 280,000 medical gloves to Wuhan .But, Elliot fears those will be gone within days.
“The need is so much greater than what we’re able to meet," he said.
Manufacturers and wholesalers, he explained, are also having trouble keeping up with the demand.
“But as the problem continues to grow, we’re going to have to have more on hand to respond.”
The supplies will be airlifted from Atlanta to Shanghai early Saturday morning by one of MAP's partners, UPS. The supplies will then be transported to the Centers for Disease Control in Wuhan.
The last time MAP International responded to an illness of this magnitude- was the Ebola outbreak in 2014.
To learn more or volunteer to support MAP’s future disaster relief efforts, visit give.map.org
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