A staffer checks on a ventilator in an intensive care unit in Chennai, India, Friday. States in the U.S. are coming up with plans for what to do if they run out of ventilators and other supplies. (Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images)

The federal Health and Human Services (HHS) Department issued guidance saying states, hospitals and doctors cannot exclude people with disabilities or older people from care under “crisis of care” standards. A top administrator says HHS will soon open discrimination investigations in multiple states. Disability advocates expressed concern that the guidance may provide immunity in certain cases involving defective products provided by companies asked to quickly scale up operations.