compromised. reporter: the u.s. has a stockpile of 13 million n-95 respirator masks. but the federal government has said up to a billion might be needed over the next six months. at putney health system in georgia, they ran through six months of protective gear in seven days. so volunteers are sewing covers for masks using surgical sheets. we got an army of seamstresses. making these for us in the community, volunteers, people from out of town. reporter: but some critical supplies present a bigger challenge. ventilators are already in short supply. nationwide there are roughly 170,000 but some estimates expect a demand of nearly 1 million. we need ventilators, i had them this morning, but the hospital up the street is out of ventilators at the moment. reporter: kyle abernathy is recovering from an infection, and is now watching his wife fight for her life, and needing a ventilator. she was, at one point, requiring 100% oxygen through