Desperately needed medical supplies to fight coronavirus are now heading to US

Adam Shapiro
·Anchor
Updated ·2 min read

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Project Airbridge will deliver 3 million pounds of desperately needed medical gear to U.S. hospitals over the next two weeks.

United Parcel Service (UPS) announced Tuesday morning that it is coordinating 25 flights to bring masks, surgical gowns, gloves, medical swabs and thermometers to the U.S.

“In addition to managing and brokering air freight flights, UPS is ramping up around-the-clock operations to provide receipt of PPE and kitting for distribution to hospitals and hot spots around the country,” said UPS Chairman and CEO David Abney in a press release.

[Read also: J&J’s Chief Scientific Officer predicts vaccinations against coronavirus within 12 months]

UPS says three million pounds of medical gowns, masks and other necessary medical supplies are being shipped to the U.S.
UPS says three million pounds of medical gowns, masks and other necessary medical supplies are being shipped to the U.S.

The shipments are being flown from China, Malaysia and Honduras to UPS’s new 450,000-square-foot health care facility in Louisville. Space at the facility has been dedicated to FEMA’s Project Airbridge. UPS says the first flights have already arrived and will continue over the next two weeks.

The company says the equivalent of 14 fully loaded 747 cargo planes will deliver the urgently needed medical supplies. UPS is providing air freight brokerage services on third-party aircrafts, as well as on UPS-owned aircrafts. Once the supplies arrive in the U.S., they will be distributed at the direction of FEMA to hospitals and COVID-19 hot spots throughout the country.

Adam Shapiro is co-anchor of Yahoo Finance’s On the Move.

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