Governors of very populated states have a heck of a lot more to deal with than rural states but it sounds to me like the health departments in those very populated states did not take the initial reports seriously and didn't apprise their governors. This is now a very delicate balancing act that involves shifting of resources, including inventory and workers, to the states that are experiencing shortages.
Nebraska's governor was on top of this with the CDC BEFORE the Princess cruise ship passengers arrived for quarantine in February but in public briefings, he has had the health department experts take the lead. They are the ones communicating with the CDC and with the public and it has been very reassuring. So far, ZERO deaths and now Nebraska Medicine has developed a sterilization method to reuse PPE equipment and the technique should help immensely with the shortage of PPE elsewhere.
JMO
“The shortage of PPE is a nationwide issue – each and every one of these items is increasingly precious,” said Mark Rupp, MD, chief of the infectious diseases division at UNMC. “Although we were well prepared, our supplies were beginning to dwindle. We had to find a way to keep our providers and patients safe, and this will definitely help us achieve that goal.”
The masks are bagged and taken to a room inside the hospital which is equipped with two UV light towers. It is then hung on wires that stretch across the room. The lights are then turned on, decontaminating the items.
“The shortage has forced us to be innovative,” said Dr. Lowe. “While these items weren’t meant to be used more than once, this is a 100% safe way to extend their useful life. Other major hospital systems in the U.S. have also started to implement this method for the same reason we are.”
Nebraska Medicine pioneering method to decontaminate personal protective equipment - KLKN-TV
