Coronavirus: NC Furniture Maker To Procure Millions Of N95 Masks

NORTH CAROLINA — A North Carolina furniture company is switching gears, and is now using its existing partnerships with suppliers and manufacturers around the world to help procure millions of surgical grade N95 face masks needed by healthcare workers throughout the state.

As of Friday morning, there were at least 2,093 cases of novel coronavirus in North Carolina. The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has been blamed for 19 deaths and 259 hospitalizations, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Aria Designs of Lenoir, North Carolina, said Thursday it had collected orders for more than 5 millions masks from North Carolina hospitals and health care workers, with some orders beginning to arrive within days.

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"It's our privilege to support the healthcare community in the midst of this unprecedented emergency," said Jeff Arditti, CEO of Aria Design.

The initiative is financed through lender CIT, and will help Aria Designs keep workers employed during the retail shutdown, the company said in a statement.

"We're proud to have played a key role in financing the delivery of surgical masks that will help stop the spread of the coronavirus from patient to healthcare provider," said Mike Hudgens, Southeast regional manager for CIT's Commercial Services group.

North Carolina emergency officials have received truckloads of personal protective equipment for state medical workers battling novel coronavirus sent from the Strategic National Stockpile. The shipment of gear was generous with some items, but fell a bit short with others, such as the highly-coveted N95 masks that shield medical workers from liquid and airborne particles.

North Carolina received 48 percent of the N95 masks it requested from the stockpile, Mike Sprayberry, director of North Carolina Emergency Management, said Thursday afternoon.

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