Coronavirus Outbreak: Apple to donate N95 masks to healthcare workers treating coronavirus patients

Tech giant Apple will be donating N95 masks to healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients. Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the masks will be donated to healthcare providers fighting the coronavirus pandemic in the US and Europe. [caption id=“attachment_8138291” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”]  An Apple store in China. Image: Reuters[/caption] “Our teams at Apple have been working to help source supplies for healthcare providers fighting COVID-19. We’re donating millions of masks for health professionals in the US and Europe. To every one of the heroes on the front lines, we thank you,” Cook wrote on Twitter.

Our teams at Apple have been working to help source supplies for healthcare providers fighting COVID-19. We’re donating millions of masks for health professionals in the US and Europe. To every one of the heroes on the front lines, we thank you.

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) March 21, 2020

The initiative by Apple comes after US Vice President Mike Pence held a press conference on 21 March, where he stated that personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies across the United States were dwindling and that hospitals are facing a shortage of masks, gowns, etc. Apple has taken a slew of initiatives to curb the spread of COVID-19. The iPhone maker recently announced its decision to close Apple stores until further notice. The Cupertino-based company has also committed $15 mn to help with the worldwide recovery. The coronavirus pandemic has already affected over three lakh people globally, killing more than 16,000. In India, the number of cases is close to 500 and the government has put in place a lockdown to stop the spread of the deadly virus.