Washington, April 25 The US federal government confiscated a shipment of 1 million N95 masks that had been ordered for firefighters in Miami-Dade County in Floridal.
"We are going to meet the plane and actually take them. That's like gold, you know. But we got the word from the company that they had been taken from the federal government," Frank Rollason, county director of emergency management, said.
Miami-Dade County, the epicentre of the pandemic in Florida, has reported 10,926 confirmed cases, out of the statewide total of 30,533, according to the latest numbers released by the Florida Department of Health on Friday evening.
The severity of the COVID-19 situation has made masks a rare health commodity, reports xinhua news agency.
"We thought we were in pretty good shape with having that amount coming in, and they were we were usurped," said Rollason.
The latest divestment of much-needed medical supplies by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency has raised many concerns following similar reports from across the country, with states and cities saying the federal government is constantly intercepting shipments of personal protective equipment.
The agency, which is coordinating supply chains for the federal government, did not comment on the development.
According to the Johns Hopkins University, 890,524 cases have been confirmed across the US, with 51,017 deaths.
( With inputs from IANS )