Last March, health care workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic were facing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shortages. As the State of California assessed PPE supply needs, efforts were made to identify providers and secure contracts for additional critical equipment. These efforts by Cal OES and other state agencies aimed to create a stable, reliable pipeline for PPE coming into our state.

“This has been a monumental effort [to obtain] items like surgical masks and N95 masks that can provide a level of full protection, including gowns, gloves and face shields,” says Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci. “Not just PPE for front line health care workers, but first responders, those in the grocery industry, farmworkers, tranches of PPE to schools so students can go back to school and teachers could be safe.”

Through these contracts, the state was able to procure a variety of commodities including N95 respirators, procedure masks, gloves, gowns and face shields which play a crucial role in protecting our frontline healthcare and essential workers.

To date, California has distributed more than 600 million N95 and procedure masks.  View PPE distribution data. The graphic below shows the inventory of all critical supplies and what has been distributed as of January 6, 2021:

Learn more about Cal OES efforts to establish a reliable supply of PPE and the logistics of distribution HERE.

Learn more about the state of California’s efforts to combat COVID-19: www.covid19.ca.gov.