As the number of cases from the coronavirus continue to climb, U.S. hospitals and government officials are preparing for the possibility of a potential shortage of ventilators, a machine that has proven effective in helping the most severely ill patients breathe. The fear of a ventilator shortage grew as hospital officials nationwide have been taking major steps to expand capacities, building tents and outfitting unused spaces to house patients. On Friday, when asked about the possibility of a ventilator shortage, President Trump said his administration had “ordered a large number of respirators just in case.”“We hope we don’t them but we’ve ordered a large number,” he said. The study indicated that, with the national stockpile, hospitals have had roughly 200,000 devices available, though the numbers of staffers able to operate and monitor them remained low. Elsewhere, hospitals have been stepping up communication with each other as they prepare dfor the worst.

Source: Fox News March 16, 2020 00:56 UTC