NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt University Medical Center had to scramble for personal protective equipment even before the coronavirus hit.
That's because the deadly March 3 tornado that tore through Tennessee took out its distribution center.
Robin Adkins is a nurse who consults with Vanderbilt. She says the hospital got distribution somewhere else, then COVID-19 created a nationwide shortage of many items, including N95 masks.
According to the hospital, it has now started using hydrogen peroxide vapor to sterilize masks, allowing them to be reused up to 10 times.
Adkins says the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred “a lot of out-of-the-box thinking” that she hopes will lead to important innovations.
