TV medical dramas gives their masks to hospitals to help fight the coronavirus

Some TV medical drama are helping save lives for real.

Fox's The Resident donated boxes of the production's masks, gloves, and gowns to an Atlanta hospital for its medical staff during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Karen Law, a rheumatologist at Grady Memorial Hospital, thanked the production for the donation on Instagram.

THE RESIDENT
Guy D'Alema/FOX

"To the entire team @theresidentonfox, thank you for this incredibly generous donation of #PPE from your set, including gowns, masks, gloves, and all the things our healthcare workers need to provide safe care for our community during #COVID19," she wrote. "Yesterday, I had a serious discussion with the residents about how, though supplies are low, a magical shipment of masks is unlikely to arrive. And yet, a magical shipment of masks DID arrive, in the form of this very generous gesture. This kind of community support means so much to our #frontlineproviders who are making many sacrifices to staff our hospitals and care for our community."

The Resident films in Atlanta and is among many TV productions that are shut down while the world tries to contain COVID-19.

ABC's The Good Doctor likewise plans to donate its gear in Vancouver and Grey's Anatomy spin-off Station 19 has donated some of their N95 masks to the City of Ontario Fire Dept.

UPDATE: Grey's Anatomy has joined the other medical shows in donating PPE. "At Grey’s Anatomy, we have a backstock of gowns and gloves which we are donating as well," showrunner Krista Vernoff said in a statement. "We are all overwhelmed with gratitude for our healthcare workers during this incredibly difficult time, and in addition to these donations, we are doing our part to help them by staying home."

U.S. hospitals are faced with a shortage of critical personal protective equipment as the coronavirus spreads. Much of the equipment is made in China, which has boosted the manufacturing of medical supplies five-fold since the outbreak, but experts say it's still not enough. The shortage has caused many political and medical leaders in the U.S. to urge consumers not to purchase masks so there are more available for healthcare providers who need to be protected as they're on the frontlines of the virus battle (some have also claimed masks don't offer any protection for the healthy from getting the virus, which is inaccurate and at odds with the seemingly successful containment practices in countries like South Korea).

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