Millions of filthy, used medical gloves — some even obviously bloodstained — were imported into the US from Thailand amid a shortage of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a disturbing report. A months-long investigation by CNN found that the soiled, second-hand nitrile gloves were shipped to desperate US distributors after import regulations were suspended at the start of the pandemic to address surging demand. “There was just no other answer. There was no way to meet the demand,” industry expert Douglas Stein said told CNN. “But that opened the floodgates for all the nefarious behavior.”