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发帖数: 2005 | 1 3M boosts production of face masks as coronavirus spreads in China
By Dee DePass Star Tribune JANUARY 24, 2020 — 7:35PM
THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN VIA AP IMAGES
People wearing masks head Wednesday for Beijing Station in Beijing, China.
3M has workers on overtime to meet the demand of people wanting protective
respiratory masks to ward against a spreading coronavirus.
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3M has dramatically boosted production of respiratory face masks in its
Chinese factories in response to the sudden rise of a deadly coronavirus in
Wuhan, China.
Travelers worldwide armed themselves with respiratory face masks to shield
themselves from the virus.
Chinese news agencies reported Friday that 3M had increased production after
its plants ran out of stock in at least two locations in China. 3M
officials would not confirm that they ran out of masks.
The Maplewood-based giant, however, said it is working diligently to meet
customers' needs, said 3M spokeswoman Jennifer Ehrlich in an e-mail. 3M
makes respiratory protection products at numerous locations around the world.
"We are working to continue respirator production during the Chinese New
Year holiday," she said.
A statement from 3M said the company is working with distributors to meet
inventory needs and "end-user demand."
"3M is committed to supporting the public health and governmental response
to the coronavirus while maintaining supply to existing customers," the
statement said.
So far, the virus has killed at least 41 people in China and infected more
than 1,000 worldwide, according to the New York Times.
The United States has confirmed at least two cases, with both patients
having returned from China with the virus. One is in Washington state, one
in Chicago. There are two suspected cases in Minnesota and an additional 63
suspected cases elsewhere in the United States, state officials confirmed
Friday.
China has now banned travel from 13 of its cities, including Wuhan, which
has 11 million residents. The United States and other nations are
aggressively screening travelers from China for fevers and other flulike
symptoms that are common to the virus.
3M manufactures a number of products that are frequently used during natural
disasters and health care emergencies, including hand sanitizer. Company
officials said they did not yet know if hand sanitizer demand has surged as
disease control experts race to contain the coronavirus.
St. Paul-based Ecolab, which also makes hand sanitizers as well as
disinfectants and food safety chemicals, is preparing for beefed-up demand
amid the latest outbreak, officials said Friday.
Ecolab's health care team has identified specific products and is now
bracing to increase production, said Ecolab spokesman Roman Blahoski.
"We expect to see an increase in demand for many of our [cleaning] solutions
, including disinfectant and sanitizing products," he said. "We are making
sure that customers know that these products are available and can be used"
to effectively kill the virus.
Dee DePass is a business reporter for the Star Tribune. She spent the last
four years covering Minnesota's manufacturing and mining industries. She
previously covered the economy, workplace issues and banking. |
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