Under Armour is the latest sports apparel company to begin producing personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses treating coronavirus patients.
The Baltimore-based company began producing face masks, face shields and “specially equipped fanny packs” to donate to health care workers in the University of Maryland Medical System, the company announced Tuesday.
Under Armour also will look into manufacturing hospital gowns.
“When the call came in from our local medical providers for more masks, gowns and supply kits, we just went straight to work,” Randy Harward, a senior vice president at Under Armour, said in a statement. “More than 50 Under Armour teammates from materials scientists to footwear and apparel designers from laboratories in Baltimore and Portland quickly came together in search of solutions.”
The face masks are being manufactured at its UA Lighthouse facility in Baltimore that opened in 2016. Mr. Harward estimated that the company could produce 100,000 masks a week.
The move comes amid a shortage of protective masks for doctors and nurses to wear while treating coronavirus patients. Late last week, the hockey equipment company Bauer began producing face shields and the Major League Baseball uniform provider Fanatics started to make face masks and gowns for health care workers.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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