They outsourced to China and elsewhere to get stuff much cheaper. It only goes wrong when the global supply lines get seriously disrupted by abnormally high demand for the same goods simultaneously with the manufacturing centres being closed due to workers being sick.
UK was caught short by having almost zero stock of high grade PPE despite an exercise Cygnus 2016 check pandemic preparedness highlighting the problem . BMJ are sufficiently vexed to threaten legal action against the government to force publication (leaked copies exist)
That is how it is killing front line medics and care home workers (as well as many of the people that they are supposed to be looking after).
It is still spreading pretty fast in the UK despite the stay at home orders being followed to the letter by a population that has been scared shitless by government propaganda. Care homes and prisons are hotspots.
Although we have notionally passed the peak in the general population because no-one is going anywhere it is raging in care homes and the daily fatality number remains stubbornly high around 600-800 per day. (lower at weekends because of reporting delays)