October PPE Shortage Index Shows Need is on the Rise—Again

While the news of promising candidates for a COVID vaccine is exciting—a vaccine is not a silver bullet, as reaching herd immunity for COVID will take some time. The need for PPE will remain critical, particularly in underserved and underrepresented communities. The October Get Us PPE Shortage Index breaks down why the United States is still experiencing a critical PPE shortage, the needs for PPE in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, and PPE requests by state.

The Get Us PPE Shortage Index is the largest non-government source of data about the needs for personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks and gloves, in the U.S., based on PPE requests received by our organization. Each month, we’ll share key takeaways from our findings and how you can help get PPE to those most in need.

October Get Us PPE Shortage Index Findings

Key Takeaways from the October Get Us PPE Shortage Index:

• October was the first month since April when PPE requests increased from the previous month.
• For the third consecutive month, over 70% of facilities were completely out of one or more types of PPE such as filtering N95s or their equivalents, disinfecting wipes and surgical/procedural masks.
• The PPE crisis has largely shifted from large hospitals. Last month, 92% of requests were from non-hospital facilities.
• Long-term care facilities that are underprioritized by large PPE manufacturers are particularly vulnerable to PPE shortages. 34% of long-term care facilities reported they had no supply remaining of one or more types of PPE and at least one confirmed COVID case.

Get Us PPE has now donated more than 3,000,000 units of PPE to frontline facilities and healthcare workers. But the demand still far outweighs the demand. Over 21.9 million units of PPE have been requested to fulfill just one week’s worth of need. 

This is the silent tragedy of the pandemic—not only that so many lives are being lost, but that we could be doing something to save them. We need to get PPE to our most vulnerable communities.

— Megan Ranney, MD, Get Us PPE Co-Founder