Doctors in Seattle have been reduced to making their own face masks out of sheets of plastic, after a global shortage of medical protective gear has hit Washington state, an epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in the US.

Ahead of an anticipated shortage of medical supplies, hospital staff met in a conference room south of Seattle to make homemade masks for the doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the frontline of tackling the coronavirus outbreak.

“We’re days away from running out of the equipment we need,” said Melissa Tizon, associate vice president of Providence St Joseph Health, which runs 51 hospitals across five western states.

“We’re expecting more shipments later on, but until then we’ve got to improvise.”