隨著新冠肺炎疫情在美國逐漸嚴峻，美國醫療體系已經面臨呼吸器和個人保護裝備的短缺，應多管齊下來減緩此危機；1.總統應動用其職權，要求業界生產呼吸器和個人保護裝備，然而生產呼吸器需一定的技術門檻，需徵召有此技術的產業，像汽車產業的配合；2.關於生產個人保護裝備，現行標準規範應放寬，例如：職安部門許可的N95口罩，也可使用於醫療用途；3.地方政府應要求特定機構或族群，像：實驗室、營造業、藝術家等，將口罩和手套捐出，避免囤積醫療用途的口罩和手套；4.中央和地方政府要扮演協調的功能，即時掌握個人保護裝備的數量，有效分配這些資源。在此危急存亡時刻，中央和地方政府要與業界和醫療機構及醫療人員齊心協力，才能度過此難關；若新冠肺炎疫情在美國繼續惡化，不只人力物力損失將難以估計，也會破壞整個美國醫療照護體系的磐石。

(財團法人國家衛生研究院 蔡慧如博士摘要整理)

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization designated “coronavirus disease 2019” (Covid-19) a global pandemic. As the number of cases in the United States continues to grow, political leaders are encouraging physical (or “social”) distancing to slow the rate of transmission. The goal of this practice is to flatten the curve of new infection, thereby avoiding a surge of demand on the health care system, but the effects of physical distancing may take weeks to appear. U.S. hospitals are already reporting shortages of key equipment needed to care for critically ill patients, including ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical staff. Adequate production and distribution of both types of equipment are crucial to caring for patients during the pandemic.

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Author：Megan L. Ranney, Valerie Griffeth, Ashish K. Jha, et al
原文連結：https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMp2006141