State announces milestone distributing one million masks
Metro Wire Staff
Gov. Tony Evers announced on Monday that the state has shipped its one-millionth N95 mask to frontline workers.
The shipments come via a supply chain established early in the pandemic by the state’s Department of Health Services to help frontline workers limit their exposure to COVID-19.
The PPE distributed through the warehouse was acquired from requests made through the Strategic National Stockpile and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, along with purchases made by the state through private vendors, according to a news release from Evers’ office.
The PPE is provided by the state at no cost to those receiving it.
“Ensuring frontline workers, first responders, and local communities have access to PPE—especially N95 masks—has been a top priority for us since the beginning of this pandemic,” Evers said in his press release. “I want to extend my thanks to the state workers, local emergency management, and public health partners who have played a critically important role in this process and have worked tirelessly to ensure these lifesaving masks and other critical supplies are getting where they are needed most.”
In addition to N95 masks, the SEOC and its partners have helped distribute other critical PPE supplies, including:
- Over 16.1 million non-surgical and non-medical face masks
- Over 7.9 million pairs of non-surgical and non-medical gloves
- Over 1.7 million non-surgical and non-medical gloves
- Nearly 225,000 KN95 respirators
- Over 393,000 face shields and goggles
- Over 30,000 thermometers
- Almost 279,000 containers of hand sanitizer and disinfectants
- More than 94,000 coveralls
- Over 424,000 foot coverings
The state also continues to operate a Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System, which has helped clean and return over 82,500 N95 masks to Wisconsin healthcare workers and emergency responders since going online this summer, preserving a critical resource.
