Apple is joining the growing list of companies who are manufacturing products to help combat the coronavirus pandemic. The company’s CEO Tim Cook announced in a Twitter video that the iPhone maker would begin manufacturing and shipping face shields for medial workers starting this week. The company has already sourced 20 million masks through its supply chain to be shipped out as well. Manufacturing will be taking place in both the U.S. and China.
Cook said in the video Apple’s bringing together a number of its internal teams to get the job done. It’s already sent out a shipment of the masks to Kaiser hospital facilities in the Santa Clara Valley. Cook said the feedback from doctors was “very positive.” By the end of this week, Apple will have shipped out over a million shields.
With a growing need of more protection for those working to test potential COVID-19 patients, it’s good to see Apple join the cause. Cook said more of Apple’s coronavirus-centric plans will be announced in the future, so the buck likely won’t stop with shields.
