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The shortage of protective gear at a time of utmost need has revealed the fragility of global supply chains -- and the extent of the U.S.'s reliance on China. © Illustration by Michael Tsang
The Big Story

How Trump's China obsession undermined the coronavirus effort

As the US scrambles for life-saving gear, White House shuts out the world's largest supplier

MARRIAN ZHOU, Nikkei staff writer | North America

NEW YORK -- Artura Taylor has spent the last few months desperately searching for personal protective equipment. Her Texas-based medical supply company is a contractor for New York state, the epicenter of the U.S. COVID-19 outbreak. Through the early months of this year, as tens of thousands of people became infected and death rates soared, the gear needed by front-line workers quickly fell into short supply.

"It's heart-wrenching to think of the things that everyone is going through on the front line in the hospitals, and you're not able to get them what they need," Taylor told the Nikkei Asian Review.

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