County Spent $5.2 Million Letting Covid-Era PPE Sit in a Warehouse Until It Expired

Thousands of medical gowns and face masks leftover from the County of San Diego’s Covid-19 response could be in the hands of medical students helping Tijuana communities. But instead, much of it may be sitting in a landfill.

The county confirmed it spent $5.2 million since 2020 storing tons of untouched masks, gowns and hand sanitizing stations in a private warehouse. It had been maintaining a supply of PPE as a strategic stockpile should another global health disaster hit, according to spokesperson Tim McClain. But only months before much of it expired did the county act to try and rehome it.

All of that stored PPE expired mid-August which means no U.S. hospital or clinic can use it. One woman says she could have.

Laura Luxemburg runs a foundation called Ssubi which specializes in tran