2nd plane filled with PPE from China arrives in Illinois

CHICAGO - A second planeload of personal protective equipment is on its way to hospitals and first responders across the state.

Governor JB Pritzker says he’s ordering the supplies directly from China after being frustrated by the lack of supplies from the federal government.

Video supplied by Governor Pritzker's office shows the second delivery of PPE in the last few days arriving at O'Hare, including millions of face masks and gloves.

The state has spent over $1.7 million to buy the equipment directly from China, with the governor saying the federal government has not been meeting demand.

The White House disputes that, but Pritzker says most of what has been arriving at O'Hare is going to the private sector.

"So that's a far cry from distributing to the states so we can distribute to, for example, a nursing home that has an outbreak,” the governor said.

Distribution of the PPE is being handled by the Illinois National Guard.

The equipment is being sent to warehouses around the state where it is inventoried and prepared for shipping to hospitals, nursing homes and first responders.

National guardsmen say it's a mission they can be proud of.

"People are almost crying when they receive this stuff because of the shortages some hospitals and counties have,” a guardsman said.

"There's emails being sent back saying, oh my God, thank you for sending this. I'm a nurse at a hospital in Saint Clair County and we just got a pallet of N95 masks that are going to protect us,” said Corp. Colby Voss.

The governor has indicated the state plans to continue purchasing directly from overseas. So far, state records show Illinois has spent more than $172 million fighting the COVID-19 virus.