Personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves help stop coronavirus proliferation and save lives.
The government says it is tightening up stocks and doing domestic affairs amid concerns by NHS staff about supply and has been asked to consider reusing other equipment.
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What is PPE and who should wear it?
Anyone in close contact with patients who may or may have coronavirus should wear some form of protection. That includes staff working in nursing homes, prisons and the community, and GP or hospital surgery rooms.
The type of PPE required depends on the level of risk.
Clinical specialists performing operations that can produce contaminated air droplets should apply the highest standard of protection, including disposable hats, respiratory filters and face protection visors.
For example, that may include the extra care of doctors preparing the patient to get ready to go to the ventilator to support their breathing.
Ambulance personnel driving the ambulance do not need to wear any PPE, but the rest of the crew must wear the correct amount depending on the level of exposure and risk they are facing.
Pharmacists who can keep 2m away from potential patients should wear a surgical mask.
How much was the kit sent?
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus outbreak, more than 1.48 billion PPE items have been brought to England's health care system, the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSC) confirmed on May 26.
According to a BBC Panorama program released in late April, more than half a million PPE items distributed at the time were surgical gloves and, in many cases, each glove counted more than two.
The most recent DHSC breakdown of the 1.2 million PPE items delivered on 10 May is included:
164 million sandwiches
192 million trees
2.3 million hats
711 million gloves
The figure of 1.2 billion includes body bags, sweets, clinical waste containers, cleaning and cleaning equipment.
The Washington government has said it has distributed 48 million pieces of PPE to the NHS and local authorities.
In Northern Ireland, the UK has exported 5 million PPE items and 75 million pieces have been ordered by its health care provider.
In Scotland, the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon said "there is not enough stock for primary PPE", but they acknowledged the difficulties in delivering the clothing. However, a survey conducted by the Royal College of Nursing suggested that half of all nurses working in high-risk areas were asked to reuse PPE.
The UK government said it had launched 11 million items in Scotland.
Is there enough PPE?
This is an important question, but one that is difficult to answer.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the amount needed each month was "enormous" and "in the millions of items" for the ballpark.
There are approximately 1.6 million NHS workers in the UK in hospitals and in the public who require different amounts of PPE depending on the type of work they do.
PPE orders are done at the UK-wide level, but different parts of the NHS have different levels of stock.
There was a shortage, including the supply of hats.
The global demand for PPE is at an unprecedented level with many countries imposing export restrictions on it.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told Break Breakfast that the government "worked" with a list of about 10,000 UK firms offering to make PPE. It also received 250,000 hats from Northern Ireland.
The NHS and social workers can call the phone number to request PPE.
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