Sheldon Adelson donates 2m. face masks to hospitals, first responders

Some 250,000 of the masks will go to the Trump administration’s program to assist health workers.

By OMRI NAHMIAS
Sheldon Adelson, a casino magnate and major backer of pro-Israel causes. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Sheldon Adelson, a casino magnate and major backer of pro-Israel causes.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
WASHINGTON – Casino mogul and GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson has purchased nearly two million face masks to help hospitals in the US that are facing a shortage of protective gear, the Jewish Insider reported.
A source close to the Jewish billionaire told JI that Adelson bought the masks from China, and they are now on the way to hospitals in New York and Nevada. Some 250,000 units are designated to go to the Trump administration to assist health workers.
US President Donald Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci of the White House Coronavirus Task Force weighed in on Tuesday during a press conference about the option to require Americans to wear face masks. The president said he prefers that hospitals will have a priority over the public in purchasing the protective gear.
“We want them to go to hospitals,” the president said. “But one of the things that Dr. Fauci told me today is we don’t want everybody competing with the hospitals where you really need them,” he added.
“You can use a scarf,” he continued. “A lot of people have scarfs. A scarf would be very good. My feeling is if people want to do it, there’s certainly no harm to it. I would say do it, but use a scarf if you want, rather than going out and getting a mask.”
Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in Washington announced on Tuesday night that Moscow is sending a plane full of medical equipment to help the US, which is suffering from the largest number of coronavirus cases worldwide. All US states, except for Wyoming, have reported deaths from the virus.
“Being aware of the serious epidemiological situation in America, the Russian side offered medical equipment and protective gear as assistance,” the embassy tweeted.

The state of New Jersey, facing the second-largest number of coronavirus patients in the US, with more than 18,000 people who tested positive and 268 dead, has decided to order more refrigeration trailers to serve as additional body storage, CNN reported.
“The state is ordering additional refrigeration trailers that will be placed in the northern, central and southern parts of the state for use by hospitals and nursing homes as well as the medical examiner’s offices around the state,” Donna Leusner, the communications director for the health department, told CNN.


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