Canada facing ‘major’ medical gear shortage

Scores of countries have moved to restrict the export of face masks, gloves and other medical supplies critical for front-line workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Canada and others scrambling to source products that now have higher price tags.

Sixty-eight countries – Canada is not among them – have curbed exports of personal protective equipment or medicine, according to Simon Evenett, a professor of international trade at Switzerland’s University of St. Gallen.

He called the policies “inhumane” and a potential “death sentence” for some of the most vulnerable patients.

“It means they’re going to go without. And you don’t want to think about what going without a medical ventilator means when you’re seriously ill with COVID-19,” said Evenett, who runs the Global Trade

Alert nonprofit, which tracks protectionism.

“Countries which use (the restrictions) are essentially grabbing a small number of supplies for the moment and denying sick people in other countries the possibility of treatment,” he said. “If you think that this is going to have a happy legacy for international relations, think again.”

On Tuesday, China responded to complaints from Europe about ineffective coronavirus test kits by tightening standards around certification of medical goods for export.

The decision seeks to clamp down on defective products, but could have the effect of further slashing supply from a country that produces half of the world’s personal protective equipment — also known as PPE.