Apple, Facebook donating millions of masks to health care workers at risk during coronavirus pandemic
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Silicon Valley giants like Facebook and Apple are pledging to help in the worldwide battle against coronavirus by donating millions of masks so that health care workers can remain protected.
In a tweet over the weekend, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company would be donating the masks to health workers in Europe and the United States.
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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Sunday post that his firm will donate 720,000 masks, while also looking to help purchase more that could be donated.
"Health workers urgently need more protective gear," Zuckerberg said in the post. "To help, Facebook donated our emergency reserve of 720,000 masks that we had bought in case the wildfires continued. We're also working on sourcing millions of more to donate. I hope you're all staying healthy and safe!"
As Reuters reports, the U.S., along with other countries, has seen a surge in demand for respirator masks caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Numerous state officials have said that the federal government is not moving fast enough to help with fulfilling the overwhelming need.