|
By any measure, global demand for medical-grade face masks and N95 respirators soared in early 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization estimated that 89 million medical masks are needed globally each month just to protect medical providers. Yet the demand for masks goes much, much further than protecting medical personnel. In some 50 countries, ordinary citizens are also seeking masks — or making their own — to comply with government mask-wearing mandates and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
|