Lamont announces seven-state effort to develop PPE supply chain
Gov. Ned Lamont announced Sunday that Connecticut and other six other adjoining states have reached an agreement to develop a regional supply chain for personal protective equipment (PPE), other medical equipment and testing.
The other states involved in the effort are New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Lamont’s office said the states will also work together to identify the entire region’s needs for the products and combine the demand to reduce costs and stabilize the supply chain.
He also said the states will coordinate their policies regarding the inventory of PPE each state should have in case of a second wave of COVID-19, what supplies local governments should have on hand for first responders, and if PPE requirements are needed for the nonprofit and private sector. The states will then identify suppliers who can meet their demand over the next three months. The goal is to decrease the potential for disruptions in the supply chain and promote regional economic development.
The states will also explore emerging technologies for production of existing products and innovation that would lead to more effective and/or less expensive alternatives.
“With global supply chains continuing to experience a major disruption due to the pandemic, combining the efforts of our states into a regional purchasing initiative will help our states obtain needed PPE and other medical equipment without competing against each other,” Lamont said. "I’ve long been advocating for the federal government to get involved because pitting all 50 states against each other to compete for these supplies has never made any sense. Partnering with our neighbors helps make our purchasing power stronger and more dependable.”
Lamont also announced Sunday that COVID-19 hospitalizations has decreased by 63 over the past day to 1,480 but 59 more people had died in the state, bringing the total to 2,495.
In southeastern Connecticut 31 people were hospitalized, a decrease of 2 while the number of deaths remained unchanged at 43.
The number of cases in each town was not available Sunday as the state is shifting its daily collection of data. The next full report is due Monday.
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