California Gov. Gavin Newsom is confident that more than 150 million N95 masks and over 50 million surgical masks will be delivered to the state "at a monthly basis starting in the next few weeks," he said Tuesday on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show.
The big picture: States, hospitals and the federal government are trying to make existing medical supplies last while they desperately try to find more equipment.
What he's saying: "The state of California has distributed 41 million N95 masks ... we've received just over 1 million from the federal government. It's not an indictment, it's not a cheap shot, at the end of the day, they don't have the masks at the national stockpile," Newsom told Maddow.
- Newsom said that he's confident the incoming shipment of masks can meet California's needs and "potentially the needs of other western states."
Details: The masks will be manufactured "overseas" and were sourced through a California manufacturer "with appropriate contacts in Asia" and multiple nonprofits, Newsom said.
Background: California has shipped hundreds of ventilators to several states experiencing hot spots of the novel coronavirus, including New York and New Jersey, Newsom tweeted on Tuesday.
