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Face Masks Are Again in Short Supply as Covid-19 Cases Surge The nation’s supply of N95 masks and other critical protective gear is again under strain as Covid-19 infections surge and hospitals stockpile supplies. Austen Hufford | Photographs by Gabriela Bhaskar for The Wall Street Journal WSJ

A surge of Covid-19 cases and stockpiling of N95 masks in much of the country have put fresh strains on the supply of critical protective gear, manufacturers and health officials say.

While the national supply of protective equipment has improved since the first months of the pandemic, levels at some health-care facilities remain well below what regulators recommend. Many health-care facilities continue to ration and reuse masks, even as manufacturers have raised production, and some state health departments said they expect supplies to tighten further. 

States have been trying to build up supplies of N95 masks, which guard wearers from tiny particles including the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, and other gear like gloves since the start of the pandemic. ...