The Washington National Cathedral has donated thousands of respirator masks to nearby hospitals.
CNN says the Cathedral bought the masks back in 2006 during the avian influenza outbreak. The masks were recently rediscovered in a storage area within the Cathedral's crypt.
After confirming with the manufacturer that the masks were still OK to use, the Cathedral sent 3,000 to Georgetown University Hospital and 2,000 more to Children's National Hospital.
The coronavirus outbreak has hospitals across the world running low on medical equipment and essential supplies. Some doctors say they're forced to keep reusing the same mask over and over because there's not enough to go around.
3M, which manufacturers respirator masks, has increased production in response to the pandemic. It's now producing almost 100 million masks a month.
Contains footage from CNN.
