Missouri to receive 200k new N95 masks after recall
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The state is set to receive 200,000 N95 masks Tuesday night, a day after officials said they had to recall a shipment of another type of mask.
Missouri Department of Public Safety Director Sandy Karsten said the shipment from a 3M factory in the United States will arrive at the state's warehouse Tuesday night.
You can watch a replay of the news conference in the media player below.
Karsten, speaking at Gov. Mike Parson's daily COVID-19 briefing from the Capitol, said the state will then distribute the high-demand masks to local agencies.
The announcement follows news on Monday that the state recalled 48,000 KN95 masks that went out to law enforcement and firefighters. The Columbia Fire Department received 45 and the Columbia Police Department received 750.
Karsten said the masks did not meet standards when tested by the Department of Health and Senior Services. In answering questions at the end of the briefing, Karsten said the masks came from three factories in China.
Karsten said the state's greatest challenge in the COVID-19 pandemic is getting personal protective equipment from front-line workers.
“Missouri and everyone else are seeking out these masks," Karsten said. "There is too little product and too much demand. The supply chains have broken down. There have been quality issues. And there have been cases of fraud and counterfeit products in other states.”
Parson thanked private industry for helping out with donations of personal protective equipment, as well.
The governor also said during the briefing that the first $600 unemployment supplements from federal COVID-19 stimulus should get to individuals this week. He said so far about $66 million has been paid out to 115,000 unemployed Missouri workers.
Karsten offered an update on the work of turning a St. Louis-area hotel into a COVID-19 treatment facility. She said a team of 35 Missouri National Guard and State Emergency Management Agency medical personnel are staffing the hospital, which can start taking patients any time it is needed.
Other sites around the state will also be evaluated, she said.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said at least 4,686 people have tested positive for COVID-19 across the state.
According to health department data, 19 more people have died since Monday from coronavirus. At least 133 people have died related to COVID-19 as of Tuesday afternoon.
