WINNIPEG — Manitoba Health Minister Cameron Friesen is calling on the private sector to help the province stock up on personal protective equipment to help fight the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
Friesen says the province isn’t running out of supplies, but is looking to procure additional items and services out of an abundance of caution.
“The Manitoba government is working to contain and reduce the impact of COVID-19, and we’re taking measures to bolster the health system with help from the private sector,” said Friesen.
“We are soliciting for help to collect the supplies we need in order to guard Manitobans against COVID-19.”
Some of the items the province is looking to obtain include:
• N95 respirators,
• surgical/procedure masks,
• nitrile gloves,
• vinyl gloves,
• nasopharyngeal swabs,
• specific types of reagent to be used in labs,
• gowns,
• hand sanitizer,
• cleaning supplies, and
• disinfecting supplies
Friesen says the province is also wanting specific services, such as:
• guard/security services,
• nursing services,
• food services,
• laundry services,
• accommodation maintenance services,
• personal services,
• IT support services,
• pet care services,
• transportation services, and
• consulting services
Interested businesses can fill out this form.
The province has also intensified the search for 10 chest compression systems, which provide additional safety as the equipment removes one staff member from the room. The equipment will be allocated across the province.
As of Wednesday, 27 new ventilators had arrived in the province, and 16 ventilators are on order.
