Gov. Jared Polis Asks Federal Government For Ventilators, Masks And Gloves
DENVER (CBS4) - Gov. Jared Polis says Colorado is facing a shortage of personal protective equipment for health care workers. In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence, Polis asked for 10,000 ventilators, two million N95 masks and more than four million pairs of gloves.
"We are facing a crisis-level shortage of these essential supplies to protect our health care workers and first responders," Gov. Polis wrote. "Colorado's COVID-19 death rate is rising faster than any other state right now; the pandemic is spreading so fast that lags in testing are masking the true conditions experienced by Coloradans across the state."
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According to Polis, Colorado needs:
- 10,000 ventilators, and associated equipment and pharmaceuticals
- 2,000,000 N95 masks
- 4,460,000 surgical masks
- 720,000 gowns
- 880,000 face shields
- 4,300,000 pair gloves -- small, medium, and large
Polis said Colorado needs help to bridge a gap until new manufacturing kicks in and new purchases arrive. CDPHE will update coronavirus data each day at 4 p.m. at covid19.colorado.gov/case-data.
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