The Department of Homeland Security issued a fraud alert Friday to the Washington State Hospital Association , stating that 40 hospitals across the state may have received fake masks as part of a shipment of 2 million masks that arrived in December, WSHA President and CEO Cassie Sauer told CNN Monday.
The company has flagged several lot numbers that were potentially used by counterfeiters and these lot numbers are among the masks purchased by the hospital association. The hospital association and several members are awaiting analysis of the remaining lots, according to the association. It is not known if the counterfeits are as effective as a true N95 mask. However, Sauer said that they have not seen an increase in Covid-19 cases in hospitals that have used them.
It was confirmed the N95 respirators were"purchased from distributors with no relationship to 3M" and were"not authentic 3M products," according to the company's statement.Sauer declined to say where the association bought the masks, but that it was from a distributor the association uses frequently.
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