Massachusetts was one of the states hit hardest by the first wave of the SARS-COV-2 virus in the early part of 2020. As the case count surged, supplies of testing equipment and critical personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers ran short, leading hospital executives to take extraordinary measures to secure products. State governments operated in uncharted territory - scrambling to fend for themselves and competing against neighboring states in the quest to purchase and deliver much-needed masks, gowns, and face shields. The fragility of global supply lines for PPE was exposed. The first installment of this multi-part series documents the onslaught of the crisis brought on by severe shortages of PPE and testing equipment at hospitals, the formation of the Massachusetts Manufacturing Emergency Response Team, and sets up the response by industry to provide domestic and in-state manufacturing capabilities for critical supplies.