Gov. Cooper: North Carolina lacks protective gear hospitals need to fight coronavirus

Faced with a potential crush of hospital patients, North Carolina is scrambling to find enough personal protection equipment needed by healthcare workers and others to fight the coronavirus, Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday.

Speaking by teleconference to county commissioners from around the state, Cooper said the federal government has not “stepped up to provide us with the necessary supplies” to cope with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new strain of coronavirus.

His comments come amid worries across the country that coronavirus could overwhelm the nation’s healthcare system by sickening doctors and nurses and exposing shortages of masks, respirators, ventilators and other equipment.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases has spiked in recent days, reaching 142 in Mecklenburg County as of Tuesday afternoon and about 400 statewide.

Healthcare experts say they believe the number of infections will go much higher.

Cooper said authorities have confirmed cases in 48 counties in North Carolina so far, but officials believe all of the state’s 100 counties will see confirmed cases by the end of the week.

“We’ve got to fight this war with everything we’ve got,” Cooper said.

President Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act to boost manufacturing of essential items and federal officials have said they will buy 500 million N95 respirators, according to The Washington Post.

Cooper said he is concerned because coronavirus could send many people to the hospital.

About 20 percent of coronavirus cases result in hospitalization, Cooper said.

By comparison, about 2 percent of flu cases require hospitalization, said Mandy Cohen, secretary of NC Department of Health and Human Services.

“This is the first statewide disaster of this proportion in my memory,” Cooper said. “The No. 1 mission is to save lives.”

This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 5:22 PM.