Amazon tapped to distribute medical equipment

Canada has signed an agreement with Amazon Canada to ensure medical equipment is delivered where it is most needed in the country’s fight against the coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday.

The Canadian government has been working with manufacturers in recent weeks to increase production of high-demand medical items like face shields, masks, gloves, ventilators, gowns and test kits to assist health care workers on the frontlines.

“Our government has signed an agreement with Amazon Canada to manage the distribution of this equipment to the provinces and territories,” Trudeau told reporters during a daily news briefing outside his Ottawa home. Trudeau did not provide details on the value of the contract.

As of Friday, Canada had 11,747 cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus, and 152 Canadians had died, according to public health agency data.

Amazon, said Trudeau speaking in French, “will use its large distribution network to ensure the delivery of medical equipment where we have the greatest needs.”

On Friday, Health Minister Patty Hajdu said Canada is paying inflated prices for personal protective equipment. She said the global market is extremely competitive as every country vies

DELIVERY ... WHERE WE HAVE THE GREATEST NEEDS.

for the limited supply.

She says Canada is keeping an eye on the cost, but is focused on getting what’s needed.

Health Canada is also taking measures to guard against fraud and counterfeit medical personal protective equipment (PPE) that’s being produced.

Reuters, with files from The Canadian Press