What you need to know
- Apple is donating 9 million protective masks to healthcare facilities across the US.
- Vice President Mike Pence made the announcement at a press conference Tuesday.
- Tim Cook had previously stated that Apple would make donations in both the US and Europe.
Vice President Mike Pence has confirmed that Apple is donating 9 million N95 masks to healthcare facilities across the country amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
As reported by Business Insider:
Apple is donating 9 million protective face masks to help combat the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Vice President Mike Pence said during a press briefing on Tuesday."And I spoke today, and the president spoke last week, with Tim Cook of Apple," Pence said. "And at this moment in time Apple went to their store houses and is donating 9 million N95 masks to healthcare facilities all across the country and to the national stockpile. "
Tim Cook announced apple's pledge to donate masks in both the US and Europe earlier this week, stating on Twitter:
Our teams at Apple have been working to help source supplies for healthcare providers fighting COVID-19. We're donating millions of masks for health professionals in the US and Europe. To every one of the heroes on the front lines, we thank you.
Last week Apple also announced it would make a substantial donation of medical supplies to Italy and its Department of Civil Protection in Italy. Italy remains the hardest hit country by the virus since the outbreak began.
Apple's donation figure of 9 million masks is a substantial increase on Vice President Pence's previous suggestion that Apple would provide 2 million masks. Apple joins Facebook and Tesla as companies pledge to offer more support in this manner.
Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.
Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple.
