Publication: San Francisco Chronicle
As hospitals and county health departments scramble to secure masks and other personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic, California has used its statewide purchasing power to act as a crucial backstop.
So far, the state has distributed more than 46.5 million masks — both N95 respirators and surgical masks — across the state, according to data from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
The data, which are current as of April 17, provide a breakdown of how state agencies have spread coveted protective supplies on a county level. Generally, counties with a high number of confirmed cases have received the most shipments.
Combined, the nine Bay Area counties, sites of several early hot spots of the outbreak, have received more than 14.5 million masks.
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Assemblyman Phil Ting, a San Francisco Democrat who chairs the Budget Committee, has been among the lawmakers pushing for more details on how the state shares masks and other equipment.
“Information hasn’t always been readily flowing between the administration, the Legislature,” Ting said as he started the April 20 hearing.