Some governors described the early personal protective equipment marketplace as the Wild West, where supplies often went to the highest bidder, even if they had already been promised to someone else. States paid an average cost during the spring of about 14 cents per glove, a fourfold increase over pre-pandemic prices. This spring, states paid an average of $3 each, according to the AP's analysis. The largest supplier of personal protective equipment to states this spring had never sold a single mask before the pandemic. Others, however, were more than willing to describe how personal protective equipment sales provided a lifeline at the onset of the pandemic.

Source: ABC News December 19, 2020 15:40 UTC