April 13, 2022 – The Tampa Bay Times reports that many of the companies that pivoted to make pandemic gear in the United States have either scaled back, shut down, or given up. In the early days of the pandemic, many manufacturers answered the call to make COVID PPE, most of which was manufactured in foreign countries.
While there was a surge of optimistic growth in PPE manufacturing, many companies are struggling to produce against foreign competition. “At the end of the day, when everybody said they wanted American-made, nobody’s buying, not even the state,” said Tony Blogumas, VP of Green Resources Consulting, a rural Missouri firm that received an $800,000 state grant but has only sold a few thousand masks. “We’re kind of upset about the whole situation.”
While the federal stockpiles have been replenished, will it be enough to support the healthcare system in future pandemics? Some PPE manufacturers are blaming restrictive federal regulations. The Tampa Bay Times writes that “three-ply masks need FDA approval to be marketed for medical use – an important designation for building a long-term customer base. Companies need approval from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to market products such as N95 respirators, which filter at least 95% of airborne particles.”
Halcyon Shades submitted an N95 respirator for approval, but it was rejected because the samples didn’t have head straps attached. Without the federal approval, the respirators are sitting on a conveyor belt in the factory. “So far, it has been a net drain of funds and resources and energy,” Halcyon Shades owner Jim Schmersahl said.