WASHINGTON, March 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Pres Donald Trump has said the US will be in “a very good shape” in terms of the number of ventilators available by the time the coronavirus outbreak peaks.
The president said at least 10 US companies were now making the medical devices, and some might be exported.
The virus can cause severe respiratory issues as it attacks the lungs. Ventilators help keep patients breathing.
The US has more than 160,000 confirmed virus cases and nearly 3,000 deaths.
New York City is the worst-hit place in America, with nearly 800 confirmed fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The US last week became the country with the most reported cases, ahead of Italy and China.
Speaking at Monday’s Coronavirus Task Force briefing at the White House, Trump said: “We have now 10 companies at least making the ventilators, and we say go ahead because, honestly, other countries – they’ll never be able to do it.”
Asked whether there would be enough ventilators for all patients in the US who needed them during a predicted peak in infections in two weeks’ time, Trump responded: “I think we going to be in a very good shape.”
He said more than a million Americans had been tested for the virus, “more than any other country by far. Not even close”.
He accused a reporter who pointed out that South Korea had tested proportionally more people when measured by population size of negativity.
And he added that he should be congratulated on his administration’s progress in fighting the virus. — NNN-AGENCIES
