The circumstances that led to the national shortage in PPE for healthcare workers, the inspiring work of New Orleans med students to equip medical providers with PPE and the science behind personal use of cloth masks are all topics covered in this special edition of the Emergency Medical Minute.  Host: Elizabeth Esty, MD Research By: Julia Luyten Sound Editing By: Stephen Bahmani Time Stamps: 0:00 - The scope of the mask shortage 1:04 - What led to the shortage 5:01 - Interview with Taylor Hopper, med student from Tulane University School of Medicine (TUSOM), who's part of TUSOM COVID Response Group - an organization frantically working to adequately supply hospitals with PPE in New Orleans. 16:23 - The science behind personal use of cloth masks References and Further Reading: https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/personal-protective-equipment-infection-control/faqs-shortages-surgical-masks-and-gowns https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2190272/?smid=nytcore-ios-share https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673620305201?via%3Dihub https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7118603/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/how-the-worlds-richest-country-ran-out-of-a-75-cent-face-mask/ar-BB11GgLi?li=BBnbcA1 https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/3/20/21188369/face-masks-short-supply-coronavirus-donations https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/opinion/coronavirus-doctors-hoarding.html https://columbiasurgery.org/donate-ppe https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/27/21194402/coronavirus-masks-n95-respirators-personal-protective-equipment-ppe https://www.nytimes.com/article/face-masks-coronavirus.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share   Photo Credit: https://flickr.com/photos/91499534@N00/49432443047