One Utah company says they cant sell N95 masks to anybody because of Chinese competition. Photo: Alex Cabrero, KSL5 TV
SALT LAKE CITY — Paul Hickey says that he went into the business of making N-95 and K-N-95 masks to be a good American. But his company, Pura Vita Medical in Lindon, Utah, is getting stifled by Chinese competition.
Every bid he’s submitted to American companies that need these masks, including governments and hospitals, has been undercut by a Chinese competitor.
Every one.
“Our own government is working against us to become independent for our own PPE needs,” Hickey told KSL TV reporter Alex Cabrero.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the N-95 masks specifically for healthcare workers and first responders. On its website, the CDC lists an alternative to the N-95 mask, called the KN-95 mask, which is similar to the N-95 but which is generally only made in China.
The CDC warns that the effectiveness of KN-95 masks can be compromised if they are counterfeit, or fake.
Last week, the CDC issued a warning about counterfeit masks with false federal approval labels — raising concerns over the masks’ effectiveness in protecting against COVID-19.
“This is a serious product,” Hicken told KSL TV. “This isn’t like buying rubber bands from China and some of them break. This is a device that’s literally intended to prevent you from getting a potentially deadly disease.”
Hickey says this a real problem because of the importance of independence in personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturing and the need for quality control for these life-saving masks.
COVID-19 coronavirus spreads person to person, similar to the common cold and the flu. So, to prevent it from spreading:
Utah’s Coronavirus Information
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Utah Coronavirus Information Line – 1-800-456-7707
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Commonly asked questions, World Health Organization