UC Berkeley researchers recommend stockpiling PPE for future | The Daily Cal

A recent report co-authored by CEGA affiliated professor William Dow indicates that creating a state stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) would be a valuable safeguard against future public health emergencies.

“According to a report published Wednesday, researchers from UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health and Center for Labor Research and Education found that the creation of a state stockpile of personal protective equipment, or PPE, for future pandemics or emergencies could have economic and health benefits.

The stockpile would consist of enough PPE to protect essential workers for at least 90 days of an emergency. According to the report, authored by UC Berkeley researchers William Dow, Kevin Lee and Laurel Lucia, having PPE on hand would allow essential workers to continue working with much less risk and would be economically beneficial to California.

The report estimates that more than 20,000 COVID-19 cases could have been averted if essential workers had access to PPE at the start of the pandemic.

In addition, the report states that many health care workers were furloughed because of the lack of PPE, partially resulting in more than 250,000 California health care workers receiving unemployment benefits.”

Source: UC Berkeley researchers recommend stockpiling PPE for future %