Healthcare workers are reusing the very few face masks they have left - and they're begging the government to give them the protective equipment they desperately need

• The US is experiencing a shortage of N95 masks that protect against airborne illness.
• In California, hospitals have turned to seamstresses, while in New York doctors have resorted to reusing masks to meet the shortage.
• It is not clear if N95 masks are safe to be used more than once, or for an extended period of time. They are designed to be worn once.
• Healthcare workers took to social media last week under the hashtag #GetMePPE, tagging congressmen and the vice president with pleas about getting the "personal protective equipment" they need.
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