Coronavirus: Trump's promised 500 million respirators could take 18 months to arrive

Global competition to purchase critical medical supplies leaves US facing severe shortage amid pandemic

Donald Trump said the federal government ordered 500 million respirator masks to assist with a shortage of medical supplies amid the coronavirus pandemic — but it could take as long as 18 months before they reach patients.

The estimated time frame comes from a grant application for the N95 air-filtering respirator masks reported on Thursday morning.

The additional masks were initially expected to arrive as the nation dealt with a potential surge of Covid-19 patients in hospitals across the country, with a 100-page federal action plan warning the pandemic could significantly impact the US for upwards of 18 months in multiple waves.

But there has been a global competition to purchase such medical supplies amid the raging pandemic, as the US confirmed more than 8,700 coronavirus cases and countries around the world reported significant outbreaks of the illness experts believed originated in a market in Wuhan, China.

The US purchased the 500 million masks with the understanding that they would be delivered to the country in incremental phases over 18 months, according to Bloomberg News.

The US has significantly lagged in its efforts to slow the spread of the virus, which begins with nationwide testing according to global health experts.

While the country tested about 25,000 people for Covid-19 after confirming its first case in late January, South Korea tested about 274,000 during that same time period.

Both countries confirmed their first cases of the novel virus on 20 January, though South Korea heavily invested in creating innovative new testing methods — like drive-through swab collections — which the US has just begun to implement in regions battling major clusters of the outbreak.

In some hospitals across the US, workers are preparing for the severe shortage of medical supplies, known as PPE, by creating homemade face masks using household products they purchased from local craft stores and Home Deport.

Hospital staff have posted desperate pleas across social media about their experiences being forced to reuse PPE while dealing with the impacts of the pandemic.

The news comes as states across the country have declared emergencies, with several ordering "shelter-in-place" guidelines and mandating bars and restaurants shutter their doors to the public. ​