Missouri to begin using mask disinfecting machine
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A machine will begin disinfecting used N95 masks next week to help make more available during the COVID-19 battle, state officials said Wednesday.
You can watch a replay of the news conference in the media player below.
Gov. Mike Parson announced at his Wednesday daily briefing that the state is set to start using a system by Battelle that can disinfect 80,000 of the masks per day. N95 masks have been in high demand for front-line medical workers and first responders.
"By helping conserve PPE, this will be a huge asset to our overall recovery plan," Parson said.
One of the pillars of Parson's phased reopening plan is the expansion of supplies of personal protective equipment for medical workers and first responders.
Todd Richardson, director of Missouri Medicaid program MO HealthNet, said the machine is being paid for by federal grants from FEMA and the Department of Health and Human Services.
The State Emergency Management Agency said they plan to coordinate pick-up and drop-off sites for hospitals that have masks in need of cleaning. SEMA spokesperson Caty Luebbert said facilities will be responsible for packaging and labeling their masks for pick-up. The packages would then be sent to a centralized location where Battelle cleans the masks. Luebbert said details on those locations had not yet been decided.
Richardson said the process would help health care providers stay stocked up on protective equipment.
"The Battelle decontamination system will bolster our supply of PPE, and will be a critical component to allow our health care system to gradually begin to perform postponed and non-emergent procedures," Richardson said.
Richardson also unveiled a marketplace for personal protective equipment created by Google. The tool will connect buyers and sellers, Richardson said, and help the state identify issues with supplies.
Dr. Randall Williams, director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said the state is changing regulations to expand COVID-19 testing. Expanded testing is another pillar of Parson's reopening plan.
The new criteria will allow the state to test staff and patients in congregated settings such as nursing homes whether they have symptoms or not. It will also expand testing of first responders, he said.
The state next week might be ready to start blood tests looking for antibodies that show a patient has already had COVID-19, Williams said.
On Wednesday, the state health department confirmed nearly 200 new COVID-19 cases across the state. State health officials also confirmed 19 more coronavirus-related deaths, tying the state's high for a 24-hour period.
