Night recently there was only one down on the floor every day when I go to work I feel I is she going to slaughter these are the battle cries of doctors and nurses on the front lines fighting corona virus without the proper armor but how did we get here where healthcare workers have to fight for PP so they can fight the virus without getting infected themselves we are role shopping China to try to get these materials and we're all competing against each other a large portion of the U. S. PP supplies like gloves gowns and masks comes from China Krishan Yadav is a senior fellow at the center for global development and an expert on supply chain management when I think of about two billion that's an ninety five respirators that we would use at least half or more comes from China two million or two billion to billion and is that each year yes as coronavirus cases rose in China earlier this year your dad says PP production took a hit even as demand for its spiked large supply distributors told U. S. hospitals it could be months before their orders were met the links in the supply chain had been broken federal stockpile almost depleted state level stockpiles limited supplies and distributors not being able to deliver and and ninety fives in any significant quantities or three to six weeks states and the federal government stepped in to help find and buy PP but that's led to bidding wars it's like being on eBay with fifty other states states are competing against states right now that's no secret or all competing against each other states one against another federal government competing against states president trump has insisted he is sending four days what they need since last Sunday cargo planes have delivered almost listen to this three hundred million dollars almost eight million masks and three million gallons a department of homeland security official told CBS news the strategic national stockpile of protective gear is almost depleted last week president trump invoked the defense production act ordering private companies to help manufacture ventilators and N. ninety five face masks but it could still be weeks for hospitals get the P. P. and donations aren't always enough the nation isn't ready to provide medical care and large catastrophes or big epidemics of contagious disease experts have said for years if a global pandemic were to hit the U. S. may not have enough PP public health is about over planning best Cameron ran the White House pandemic response office under the Obama and trump administrations it was dissolved by the White House in twenty eighteen and she believes that move left the country less prepared I'm really worried about the competition between states it's the thing that keeps me up at night right now right I think that we in the absence of a unified federal plan states don't have any choice but to be prepared for their constituents in your opinion what entity is best prepared to do that kind of unified plan I'd like to see a logistics are at this point to be honest with you in my opinion and I think that logistics are could come from the military or could be a former military commander you're gonna need a plan for moving and sharing medical equipment across the United States and I hope that we don't need to use that plan but I think if we have that plan we're not going to regret it for those on the front lines it's a matter of life or death if we didn't have enough PP we wouldn't be forced to use the M. ninety five over and over again we can't do our jobs if we aren't safe we're not safe and therefore you're not safe and so we don't have healthcare workers you cannot save