[late]

"Maine requested a half-million N95 specialized protective masks and received 25,558 — about 5 percent of what it sought...

Democratic-leaning Massachusetts, which has had a serious outbreak in Boston, has received 17 percent of the protective gear it requested...

Florida has been an exception in its dealings with the stockpile: The state submitted a request on March 11 for 430,000 surgical masks, 180,000 N95 respirators, 82,000 face shields and 238,000 gloves, among other supplies — and received a shipment with everything three days later, according to figures from the state’s Division of Emergency Management. It received an identical shipment on March 23, according to the division, and is awaiting a third."

Trump is killing people to make a point.

"President Trump repeatedly has warned states not to complain about how much they are receiving, including Friday during a White House briefing, where he advised Vice President Pence not to call governors who are critical of the administration’s response. “I want them to be appreciative,” he said."

The White House is also not interested in managing the crisis. The states are in a bidding war for life and death medical supplies. There is no national mandate for hunkering down, which is helping the disease spread.



While crazy is the new normal, this is, as the Brits like to say in their understated way, a bit much.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/desperate-for-medical-equipment-states-encounter-a-beleaguered-national-stockpile/2020/03/28/1f4f9a0a-6f82-11ea-aa80-c2470c6b2034_story.html