To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure an adequate supply of personal protective equipment for health, social care and other key workers to prepare for any second wave of COVID-19.
Answered on
6 August 2020
We continue to model future demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) to cover a range of possible scenarios, working closely with the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies to ensure it is underpinned by the latest science. Though the global market remains challenging, we continue to sign further deals to make our position more secure. We have now procured over 30 billion items of PPE from United Kingdom manufacturers and overseas suppliers.
We are confident in the stocks and sources of supply of PPE to meet the needs of health and social care over the next seven and 90 days and are increasingly looking further ahead. We have moved from an emergency situation a few months ago to a stable situation which allows us to prepare with resilience for any second spike or a new wave in the autumn or winter.