|
 “In the face of the unprecedented challenges
presented by COVID-19, the people of Illinois have stepped up once
again: our innovative biotech companies and state-of-the art
manufacturers are teaming up with the State of Illinois to ramp up
production of Personal Protective Equipment,” said Governor JB
Pritzker. “We’re not just waiting for in-state production. My
administration continues to work day and night to scour the global
supply chain. Illinois is acquiring PPE to compensate for what we
haven’t received in our federal requests. But we are doing so while
running up against obstacles that should not exist.”
NEW PARNTERSHIP WITH MANUFACTURING AND BIOTECH INDUSTRIES
Providing immediate support for health care workers and first
responders on the front lines of the COVID-19 response, Gov.
Pritzker announced a new partnership with the Illinois
Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) and the Illinois Biotechnology
Innovation Organization (iBIO) to ramp up in-state production of
essential supplies.
Repurposing their facilities and ensuring employees adhere to strict
social distancing guidelines, companies will begin manufacturing
products ranging from medicine and therapies, personal protective
devices – which includes N95 masks, gloves, gowns, ventilators and
sanitizer, among others — and medical equipment.
Both the IMA and iBIO are organizing medical supply donation
programs from their 4000-company and 85,000-employee memberships
respectively, and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency will
direct donated supplies to the health care and emergency response
providers across the state with the most need.
“America is facing extraordinary times that rival some of the
greatest challenges in our nation’s history. While the task is
daunting, manufacturers stand ready to once again answer our
nation’s call, conquering obstacles and leading the way forward,”
said Mark Denzler, president & CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’
Association. “The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and the
592,000 women and men working on factory floors across our state are
proud to support Governor JB Pritzker’s efforts to combat and
contain this virus, producing life-saving products in desperate need
across Illinois.”
“The Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization – iBIO – is the
association that represents the 85,000 life science employees in
Illinois. Our life sciences community is leading the charge in the
fight In Illinois against COVID-19,” said John Conrad, president &
CEO of iBIO. “Illinois’ innovative companies are ramping up efforts
to study the virus and develop solutions to prevent, diagnose and
treat this deadly infectious disease. As a community we are proud to
support Governor JB Pritzker’s efforts to provide immediate support
to healthcare workers and first responders. These unsung heroes are
directly working with patients in these unprecedented times, and
will continue to do so at great risk to their health and their
ability to care for others until they have all of the protective
equipment they need.”
[to top of second column] |
 STATE PURCHASES MILLIONS OF UNITS OF PERSONAL
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
In another effort to build supply to protect those on the
frontlines, battling this pandemic, Gov. Pritzker announced today
that the state has executed contracts to purchase 2.5 million N95
masks, 1 million disposable surgical masks, 11,000 gloves and 10,000
personal protection kits.
While medical facilities across the state do have their own stocks
of PPE and uses their own vendors to source additional PPE, the
administration’s procurement effort aims to supplement their
existing supply during this period of heightened need.
GOVERNOR CALLS FOR FEDERAL ACTIVATION OF DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT
Continuing his calls for more support from the federal government,
Gov. Pritzker called for the federal activation of the Defense
Production Act to vastly increase the production of essential
medical supplies and their distribution to states in need.
In the last few weeks, Illinois has only received a
fraction of what has been requested from the National Strategic
Stockpile. The table below illustrates the gap between the state’s
requests and shipments from the federal government for each type of
Personal Protective Equipment:
| |
Requested
from
State
3/6-20/20 |
Rec'd from
Fed
Gov
3/12-22/20 |
%
Received |
|
N95 Masks |
2,340,000 |
246,860 |
10.5% |
|
Surgical
Masks |
900,000 |
91,298 |
10.1% |
|
Gloves |
7,400,000 |
325,082 |
4.4% |
|
Gowns |
924,000 |
91,298 |
9.9% |
|
Goggles |
47,500 |
0 |
0.0% |
|
Face shields |
120,000 |
111,978 |
93.3% |
|
Respirators |
4,000 |
0 |
0.0% |
STATEWIDE DISTRIBUTION
As the state receives personal protective equipment from across its
multi-pronged procurement operation, Gov. Pritzker announced today
that the state has in turn distributed these vital supplies to
county emergency management agencies, health departments and
hospitals across the state.
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency has distributed more than
28,400 N95 masks, more than 15,500 pairs of gloves and nearly 6,200
gowns to over a dozen county health departments with the most need.
The Illinois Department of Public Health has also distributed
supplies to 150 hospitals and 62 local health departments across
Illinois, and the second shipment of supplies from the National
Strategic Stockpile will soon be distributed to every public health
jurisdiction and hospital in the state.
[OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR JB PRITZKER] |
