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Due to an insufficient supply of surgical masks in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration is loosening requirements for frontline workers.

The agency issued an emergency use authorization for certain disposable, single-use surgical masks in healthcare settings. Although the White House claims that personal protective equipment supplies are adequate, nurse’s unions, governors and other groups said they are struggling to get personal protective equipment for frontline healthcare workers. The FDA warns that this doesn’t replace the need for FDA-cleared surgical masks and authorized respirators.

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This segment aired on August 7, 2020.