Stay home message for fifth of world’s population

THE HUNT for masks, ventilators and other medical supplies has consumed the US and Europe, as more than 1.5 billion people – a fifth of the world’s population – were asked or ordered to stay home to try to blunt the spread of coronavirus.

Political paralysis stalled efforts for a quick aid package from Congress in the US, and stocks fell at the opening bell even after the Federal Reserve said it would buy as much government debt as necessary and lend to small and large businesses and local governments to help them cope with the economic damage from the outbreak.

In New York, where a nearlockdown took effect statewide over the weekend amid fears the city could become one of the world’s biggest hotspots, mayor Bill de Blasio warned that hospitals are 10 days away from shortages in “really basic supplies” needed to protect healthcare workers and patients alike.

“If we don’t get the equipment, we’re literally going to lose lives,” he told CNN yesterday.

A surge in infections has caused a critical shortage of medical supplies in many places. Italy has already seen 18 doctors with coronavirus die.

A senior Spanish health official called the infection of 3,910 healthcare workers, roughly 12 per cent of the country’s total cases, “very bad news”.

Spain has erected a field hospital in a convention centre, while US President Donald Trump has ordered mobile hospital centres to be sent to Washington, California and New York.

Healthcare workers have said they are being asked to reuse and ration disposable masks and

gloves. A shortage of ventilators – crucial for treating serious cases of the virus – has become critical.

Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, promised that medical supplies are about to start pouring in and will be “clearly directed to those hot spots that need it most”.

The vote on an aid package in the US congress faltered as the Senate voted against advancing a nearly two trillion-dollar (£1.71 trillion) economic rescue package.

Democrats argued the package was tilted toward corporations rather than workers and health care providers. Another vote was expected late last night.

The delay shook investors, as has the accumulation of cancelled events large and small, the soaring numbers of unemployed and a general, widespread shrinking in spending.