COVID-19 Medical mask demand soars in US

U.S. companies are racing to build supply chains for medical masks as the global business unravels under the Covid-19 pandemic. Manufacturers including 3M Co, Honeywell International Inc. and Prestige Ameritech Ltd. are expanding operations to produce more high-quality masks in the U.S. in response to requests from hospitals and governments, the WSJ’s Austen Hufford reports, adding pressure on suppliers of the machines and materials required to assemble N95 masks. The companies are racing to create new supply chains, but the added capacity likely won’t exceed domestic N95 demand until this winter. By then, the U.S. should be producing 180 million N95 masks a month, up four times from January. That’s a rapid buildup by historic standards, but with U.S. cases surging and deaths exceeding 140,000, it’s painfully slow and suggests the domestic supply chains for medical equipment will have to be rebuilt over the long term.

– Bob