Special Needs Populations & The COVID-19-Related Supply Shortages

Where are all the supplies? Shortages of ventilators, sanitizing agents, personal protective equipment (PPE), and testing are widespread and frequently reported (see Critical Supply Shortages—The Need For Ventilators and Personal Protective Equipment During The COVID-19 Pandemic).

For staff members of health and human service organizations whose work with consumers cannot be done virtually, the situation is hazardous. Lack of testing leaves staff and consumers operating without knowledge of who has an infection and who may be immune. And, with the very necessary focus on supplies in emergency rooms and acute care facilities, the supply of PPE—masks, gowns . . .