China reports sharp drop in new cases, but doubts re-emerge over data The Hubei province at the center of the novel coronavirus outbreak reported a steep drop in new cases. However, another change in how China diagnoses infections raised concerns about the reliability of the data. The China death toll tops 2,000 and cases top 75,000. Initially, Chinese authorities were using … [Read more...]

Texas manufacturer caught in coronavirus supply chain panic Prestige Ameritech (Fort Worth, TX), a full-line domestic surgical mask manufacturer, was producing 600,000 masks each day but struggling to meet demand as the number of coronavirus cases in China skyrocketed in the past week. CEO Mike Bowen was receiving cold calls on his cell phone from people saying they … [Read more...]

Premier Inc. to host webinar tomorrow: "State of Supply Chain and COVID-19" Premier Inc. (Charlotte, NC) announced it will host a webinar tomorrow, Feb. 19, 2020, “State of Supply Chain and COVID-19,” at 11 a.m. ET. The Premier Disaster Response and Disruption Team, as well as the Premier Safety Institute will provide an executive briefing on the state of supply chain … [Read more...]

FDA response to active supply chain surveillance amid outbreak The FDA states that it is aware of the likely impact on the medical product supply chain, including potential disruptions to supply or shortages of critical medical products in the U.S., due to the coronavirus outbreak. The FDA states that it is not waiting for drug and device manufacturers to report shortages, … [Read more...]

Coronavirus more contagious than flu, less deadly The new strain of coronavirus, now formally named COVID-19, is “a lot more contagious” than the flu, according to AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot. “What we have all learned is that the virus leads to a lower mortality than the flu virus, but it’s a lot more contagious, the virus is very contagious,” Soriot told CNBC. At least 19 … [Read more...]

Coronavirus cases spike in China; death toll over 1,300, caseload over 60,000 Doctors in China have adopted a new way of diagnosing the novel coronavirus, leading to a spike of 23% in confirmed cases and a jump in the number of deaths blamed on the virus. China previously only counted a coronavirus case as confirmed when a person tested positively for the virus, but the … [Read more...]

Medtronic commits over $1M to coronavirus efforts Medtronic (Dublin, Ireland) and the Medtronic Foundation are committing approximately $1.2 million to coronavirus relief efforts worldwide. These encompass Medtronic Foundation cash contributions and product donations from the company. The foundation is partnering with cash contributions to the International Federation of Red … [Read more...]

Coronavirus death toll surpasses 1,000 in mainland China Monday saw the largest single-day death toll yet in mainland China as 108 people died, bringing the total to more than 1,000 deaths. More cases were identified, bringing that total to 42,638 in mainland China. Meanwhile, two senior health officials in the Chinese province of Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, have … [Read more...]

Hospitals stockpile supplies amid coronavirus-related mask shortage; Schein makes statement The coronavirus has fueled fears of a shortage of key protective medical devices, namely the specialized N95 respirator masks that are needed to protect health workers treating infectious patients. The CDC recommends that medical employees working with coronavirus patients wear N95 … [Read more...]