Robert O’Brien: Ventilators for coronavirus — US is Arsenal of Health in war on COVID-19
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Ventilators are life-saving tools in the fight against COVID-19. They are durable medical devices intended to control or assist a critically ill patient’s breathing by mechanically delivering them a predetermined percentage of oxygen.
Ventilators can be reused but hospitals need a sufficient supply to treat critically ill patients while still allowing enough time for each ventilator to be refurbished between patients.
At the early stages of the United States’ response to the pandemic, many models predicted that the supply of ventilators in hospitals across the country would not meet the demand of critically ill patients. According to the models, a shortage of ventilators in America threatened to be a public health catastrophe.
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To address this threat, President Donald J. Trump took decisive action to meet the anticipated demand for ventilators and, in the process, organized an industrial ramp-up the likes of which we have not seen since World War II.
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Using the Defense Production Act, the president encouraged private sector companies such as General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. to get into the ventilator production business, and existing ventilator companies like General Electric Co., Vyaire Medical Inc., ZOLL Medical Corp., and others to expand their production.
Leading this effort for the president were Jared Kushner, senior advisrr, Adam Boehler, CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corp. and Peter Navarro, director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. Despite irresponsible reporting to the contrary, the mechanisms put in the place by the administration to create and deliver ventilators were so successful that every single patient who needed a ventilator got one. In fact, under their guidance, the United States is now on track to produce over 100,000 high-quality ventilators by the end of July 2020. That is by far the highest production of ventilators in history.
Thanks to President Trump, we are strongly positioned to continue leading the world through this coronavirus pandemic and can now provide assistance to allies through an historic coordination of international efforts.
This swift ramp-up in production of life-saving ventilators was achieved through President Trump’s direct personal involvement and the willingness of American companies to shift their production lines dramatically and rapidly from industrial and automotive products to ventilators. The president’s bold and decisive actions saved lives and safeguarded the health and well-being of the American people. He ensured our citizens have what they need first, and created new avenues for American ingenuity to thrive so that our supply of ventilators now exceeds demand.
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Thanks to President Trump, we are strongly positioned to continue leading the world through this coronavirus pandemic and can now provide assistance to allies through an historic coordination of international efforts.
The president has reached out to our partners and allies around the world to provide them with these life-saving machines. I have been with President Trump as he has spoken with leaders from countries on six continents, including Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and many more.
The president has ensured that these nations can purchase high-quality America-made ventilators to meet their medical needs. And, for countries that cannot afford ventilators, the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development are providing foreign assistance to fund their purchase. All told, President Trump has committed to providing over 14,000 high-quality ventilators for purchase and donation to nations around the globe.
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Like the early China travel restrictions in January, President Trump’s quick action on ventilators is saving lives at home and around the world. Ramping up our production of ventilators represents one of the most powerful weapons in America’s public health arsenal.
We just celebrated VE Day. In World War II, America was the Arsenal of Democracy, providing war materiel to our Allies that ultimately led to victory over tyranny. Now, under President Trump, we have become the Arsenal of Health in responding to this global pandemic.
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