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Covid shutdowns in China are delaying medical scans in the U.S.

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Thu, 2022-05-12 11:10 — mike kraft
Covid shutdowns in China are delaying medical scans in the U.S. The disruption reveals once again how overseas, poorly diversified supply chains are vulnerable to a global health crisis. Shortages have crippled the U.S. health system again and again during the pandemic. Christopher Rowland Washington Post

Doctors in the United States are prioritizing only the most critical patients and hospitals are rationing supplies of a crucial drug after a covid lockdown in China temporarily closed a GE Healthcare factory that is a vital source for a key ingredient in medical imaging.

The shutdown of the facility in Shanghai in April halted production of contrast media, an iodine solution that medical staff inject into blood vessels to allow a device such as a CT scanner or fluoroscope to see inside the body. Contrast media, also known as dye, is used virtually every hour in hospitals across the country to help measure arterial blockages around the heart, guide placement of stents in catheter labs, diagnose and treat strokes, and more. Oncologists use contrast to monitor cancerous tumors.

But with contrast supplies dwindling because of the manufacturing shutdown halfway around the world — part of stringent Chinese covid policies that kept workers at home and forced factory closures — doctors at many U.S. health systems are scrambling. They are prioritizing the most seriously ill patients and postponing more routine tests for those who can safely wait until contrast stocks are replenished.

GE Healthcare told hospital officials that capacity at the plant was 25 percent this week and that it expects to have supplies flowing normally again by the end of June. It has shifted production to a plant in Ireland and is flying shipments into the United States to speed delivery.

But getting through the next six to eight weeks could be difficult for local health systems reeling under the sudden supply shortage. Postponement notices for non-emergency appointments are already going out to patients.

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United States
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COVID-19
Health
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Medical Testing
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